


Draw a Family

by Isakprettykitty



Category: SKAM (Norway)
Genre: Adoption, Alternate Universe, Angst, Cute, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Happy Ending, Idiots in Love, Love, M/M, Mutual Pining, Parallel Universe, Parent Evak, Parent Even Bech Næsheim, Parent Isak Valtersen, Parent!Isak, Parenthood, Pining, Romance, SKAM - Freeform, School, Single Parents, Smut, Teacher Even, Teacher!Even
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-26
Updated: 2021-03-02
Packaged: 2021-03-06 04:08:25
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 35,673
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25537096
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Isakprettykitty/pseuds/Isakprettykitty
Summary: Isak, a single parent, takes his 5 year old son to preschool for the first time. Before Isak adopted Magne, his biologic parents weren't treating Magne as they should and some of the scars still haven't healed. Magne's teacher is no other than Even bech næsheim, who makes it his goal to help Magne out with his social anxiety. As time passes, Even and Isak grow closer and the younger one finally learns that it is okay to depend on other people.
Relationships: Eva Kviig Mohn/Jonas Noah Vasquez, Even Bech Næsheim/Isak Valtersen, Yousef Acar/Sana Bakkoush
Comments: 23
Kudos: 109





	1. First Day

“Daddy, don't leave me alone!” cried out a small boy in between his sobbing as he was tightly holding onto his father, Isak Valtersen, who was slowly running out of patience. That day it was Magne's first day in preschool and Isak knew it that it probably wouldn't work out to just leave the boy there. Magne was a precious child, but was awfully attached to Isak, shy and anxious around people that he didn't know. In the past, Isak tried to enrol Magne into day-care, so that Magne could get some friends and meet new people, but it never worked out. Up until then, Isak had no troubles with having Magne at home with him. Yes, he was a single parent, but he worked from home, so there was no problems. However, now that he had gotten a new job and had no one that would care after Magne, preschool was necessary.

“Look, Magne, you need to listen to me,” said Isak and sighed, going down onto his knees, so that he was closer to his son and pressed his lips together when he saw how scared Magne actually was. He knew how hard it must've been on the poor boy; when he adopted Magne three years ago it was much, much worse. People in the orphanage had told him that Magne's biological parents were horrible to their son and it took Isak months to gain Magne's trust. After that, the poor boy slowly started opening up to him and other Isak's relatives, but he was still skittish around people that he didn't know. “You see this place? It is called preschool, you'll meet other children here, new friends,” said Isak and softly and stiffened when Magne's crying had gotten louder.

“I don't need new friends, I only need daddy,” whispered Magne and Isak's heart broke when he heard that. “Did I do something bad?” he then asked and Isak's heart cracked again, wrapping his arms around his crying son as he sighed. “I-I promise to be good,” he hiccupped. “J-just don't leave-”

“You did nothing wrong, absolutely nothing, Magne,” whispered Isak and pressed a kiss against the boy's forehead. He then looked at his watch, not even caring that he was late for work. Magne hid his face into his little palms and started sobbing again and Isak gently scooped up him in his hands, carrying him to the nearest chair. As he sat down onto it, with Magne in his arms, he pulled out his phone from his pocket in attempt to call his boss, to tell him that he probably wasn't going to show up for work that day. However, he was stopped when a man stepped out of the classroom and headed straight to Isak's and Magne's direction. Since the man came out of the classroom that was supposed to be Magne's, he knew that that was probably Magne's teacher... Even Bech Næsheim, if he remembered correctly. 

“Now, now, what's up with all the crying ?” asked the man, his voice soft and kind and somehow attractive to Isak. But those thoughts were pushed aside when Magne held tightly onto his sweater when he saw the stranger coming closer and he quickly looked away. Isak, on the other hand, quickly got up onto his legs, still holding Magne in his arms, who had by then calmed down a little bit. He wasn't crying anymore, but his little body was still shaking with fear.

“Please, excuse us,” said Isak. “He isn't used to being away from me, so it's a bit difficult on him. But you'll be a good boy and you'll listen to daddy, right?” asked Isak, receiving a shake of protest from his son and in the end he sighed. “Isak Valtersen, by the way,” he then said and extended his hand out, Even taking it almost immediately.

“Even Bech Næsheim,” replied the man softly and smiled as he let go off of Isak's hand, focusing his attention on Magne. “And you must be Magne, am I correct?” asked Even softly, his eyes widening when he noticed that the boy flinched when his name was mentioned. The poor boy didn't even dare to look at him and it seemed as if he was frozen with fear, unable to move, which honestly broke Even's heart. By then, he had seen kids crying when their parents would leave, but none of them would be like this; frozen with fear.

“Come on Magne, say hello,” whispered Isak and turned around, so that Magne could greet his teacher properly, but the other just turned buried his face into his father's shoulder. “Mr. Bech Næsheim is going to be your new teacher,” he then added, trying again, but Magne just shook his head.

“I don't need a new teacher,” stated Magne and tugged onto the fabric of Isak's sweater. “I want to go with daddy,” whispered Magne and closed his eyes.

“Magne...” started Isak, but his voice trailed off. He would love to take Magne with him, but of course there was no way. And the fact that Magne thought that he was leaving him there as a punishment for doing something bad, was killing him. Magne was afraid of being left alone more than anything and even thought three years had passed already, the scars were still present.

“Aw, that's too bad then,” said Even, a playfulness coming to his voice and Isak looked at him, sending him a confused look. He had no ideas where even was going with that, but he decided to stay quiet for the time being. “If you stay here with us, you're going to have so much fun. But if you go with your dad, you'll have to listen to boring, grown up stuff. Trust me, it's no fun,” said Even slowly and then looked at Isak, hoping that he didn't take it too far. He was just a teacher and he knew that he shouldn't cross that line; it wasn't up to him how parents disciplined their children, but it looked like Isak was in a desperate need of help at the moment. When he gained a soft smile from Isak, he relaxed a bit and then went closer to the two of them.

The word fun must've had quite an impact on Magne, because Isak could see that his son was now listening to Even, even though he still refused to look at him. “Fun?” whispered Magne and looked up at Isak. “Like what, daddy?” he then asked, his eyes full of curiosity and Isak had to chuckle as he placed a hand on top of Magne's head. He was kind of surprised to see how fast Magne changed his mind, which usually didn't happen when meeting new people.

“I don't know,” said Isak and chuckled. “You'll have to ask Mr. Bech Næsheim,” said Isak slowly and his smile widened just a little bit when he saw the wink that Magne sent him.

Magne stiffened up again and firmed fists with his little hands. At first he didn't want to turn around and his heart started beating fast with fear and anxiety. On the other hand, he still wanted to know what kind of fun Mr. Bech Næsheim had planned for that day. In the end, curiosity got the best of him and Isak's eyes widened when Magne slowly turned around and finally looked at his teacher. Magne opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out and his face flushed when he felt his dad's eyes and Even's ones on him. He didn't like it how it made him feel. He knew that he should ask Mr. Bech Næsheim something, but he couldn't concentrate with everyone staring at him. He didn't like it when people stared at him, it made his tummy feel weird. Just as he was about to shut down again, Even got down onto his knees and smiled.

Even saw that Magne started panicking again and he knew that as a teacher he had to react fast, which he did. He didn't want Magne to shut down again. Because of that, he quickly got onto his knees and a warm smile spread across his face. “Let's see,” started Even and that caught Magne's attention again. “Do you like singing songs, Magne?” asked Even and the boy slowly nodded. “Good, because today, we'll be singing lots and lots of songs. Also, we'll be playing many interesting and fun games. You'll see, it's going to be so fun. I promise.”

“Oh, that sounds so fun, Magne,” said Isak and shifted his gaze just a little bit when he saw Even staring up at him.

“I-I like drawing,” whispered Magne and Even smiled and nodded, happy to see that the child was finally opening up to him. “C-can I...”

“Of course, drawing as well,” said Even. “You can even draw something for your dad if you'd like,” went on by saying the man and that seemed to put Magne in a better mood.

“R-really?” asked Magne in awe and Isak chuckled at that. Honestly, he was speechless. Usually, it took Magne a lot more than just that, so he was really surprised when he saw that he opened up so easily to Even. “Daddy, I want to stay here,” was what Magne said next as he turned around to face his father. “Y-you'll come to pick me up, right?”

“Of course I will,” said Isak and smiled. It was always like that; Magne always needed confirmation and he didn't mind giving him one. Also, he was still amazed with how good that went. “Now be a good boy and get ready, okay? Daddy needs to have a little talk with your teacher,” said Isak and earned a playful hum from the other male.

Even was then standing in the distance, but still close enough to hear the conversation and he just had to smile. Not only that Isak was beyond attractive, that was something that Even noticed immediately. But, he was also a good parent as he could see it; the relationship between Isak and Magne was definitely strong and absolutely adorable. As Magne started taking off his shoes, Even straightened himself up when he noticed Isak coming closer to him and he smiled.

“I want to thank you for being so patient with him,” said Isak and stretched the back of his head. “Honestly, I am amazed with how good things went,” he said quietly and smiled when he saw that Magne looked at his way. “It's like you have magic or something,” blurted out Isak and Even chuckled.

“I must disappoint you, no magic,” said Even and smiled. “But I do love being a teacher and helping children,” he then added and Isak nodded, feeling his face heat up just a little bit when Even leaned closer.

“I must mention that Magne is not like most children,” said Isak, knowing that it was crucial for Even to know. “He is not very good around strangers and prefers to be alone, so if he doesn't seem interested to play with other kids, or if he is too scared then-”

“I understand,” said Even softly. “I won't force him into doing something that he wouldn't like,” said the older one and chewed his lower lip. He then cocked his head when he saw worry in Isak's eyes as he was looking over to his son and Even sighed. “Relax, you worry too much. Everything is going to be okay. And if something does happen, the school will call you. If it makes you more comfortable, I could give you my number as well.”

“Y-Yeah, I'd like that,” said Isak, feeling at ease. After exchanging phone numbers with Even, Isak felt a lot better and he smiled when Magne was finally done and sent him a small smile. The boy picked up his bag and carried it towards his dad and Mr. Bech Næsheim, feeling nervous. He could feel his tummy hurting again and he looked up at his dad, who gave him a kiss on a cheek, before straightening himself up and he smiled warmly.

“I'll pick you around three o'clock, okay?” Asked Isak softly.

“Okay, daddy,” whispered Magne.

“Be a good boy and listen to Mr. Bech Næsheim, understood?” 

“Yes,” whispered Magne and looked up at the other man, somehow not feeling as nervous as usual when he would meet a person that he didn't know.

“Good,” said Isak and with a heavy heart looked at Even one last time, before deciding that he should really get going. “See you soon, Magne.”

“Bye, daddy,” whispered Magne and watched his father leave. Once alone, Magne looked down again and closed his eyes, squeezing his bag close to himself and started breathing faster. Even's heart dropped, but he didn't let that show on his face. Instead, he smiled when he saw the Avengers on Magne's bag and he took the bag from the boy's hands.

“Do you like the Avengers?” asked Even softly and that seemed to make Magne feel at ease somehow.

“Yes,” he whispered and Even nodded.

“Which one is your favourite?” asked Even softly.

Magn blinked a few times and nervously shifted from one leg to the other one. He then slowly pointed to one of the Avengers on his bag and looked up at his teacher. “Iron Man,” he muttered slowly and looked down. 

“I see,” said Even. “I like Captain America,” he then added and chuckled when he saw that Magne's face brightened just a little bit. “He's super cool.”

“Now, how about we get into the classroom and you can tell me all about the Avengers, okay?” asked Even and Magne slowly nodded. “You can hold my hand if you're too scared,” went on by saying Even and Magne nodded again, taking Mr. bech Næsheim's hand when it was offered to him, slowly following his teacher into the classroom.

~

Magne had finally gotten used to going to preschool at least a little bit. He still didn't like it that Isak had to leave for work, but he understood it then that his dad left him there, because he needed to work, to earn money. And with that money, Isak promised to buy Magne something nice, leaving the small boy absolutely excited. Isak was always showering Magne with little gifts and attention, in a desperate need to make him forget about him past and he was happy to see that the other was making some kind of a progress. Also, he was beyond happy that his little son was put into such a lovely class, with such an amazing teacher. Honestly, Isak could go on and on about how great Even was and it was no secret that he fancied the man, that was something that Sana was able to find out pretty quickly, but never made a comment about it.

Currently, Isak was eating his breakfast, while Magne was still asleep, and across of him was sitting his best friend, Sana, who just came by to see how everyone was doing. She admired him, he was able to take care of Magne on all of his own and she could still remember the day that the man brought the boy home. All that she could see then from that point on in Isak's eyes was happiness and love for his son, and she couldn't be happier about it.

“So, what time do you finish work today?” Asked Sana, who was slowly munching on a piece of toast that Isak prepared them to have for breakfast and the man frowned as he was counting the hours in his head.

“Around three,” muttered Isak and slowly sipped on his coffee. A smile spread across his face when the drink warmed him up and he hoped that it was going to wake him up as well. Not being able to work from home anymore started to have its toll on Isak, it was definitely something that he'd need to get used to and he yawned, covering his mouth with a hand. “Then, I'll go pick up Magne and we can go do something if you're free like you said. I'm sure that Magne is going to like it,” he then said and chuckled; Magne liked his aunt Sana a lot.

“Okay,” said Sana and nodded. After that, the two of them ate in silence, until Sana broke it. “So how are things going with Magne and preschool? The last time we spoke, you said that he is slowly opening up?”

“Kind of,” said Isak and scratched behind his head. “He is no longer crying when I leave and it looks like he is quite fond of Even as well, which is great. It seems that he is a really good teacher, because Magne talks about him all the time at home.” Isak then made a short pause and frowned when he saw a smile tugging at Sana's lips, but he made no comment about that and then continued. “Finally, he has someone to talk about his obsession with the Avengers,” said Isak then and laughed. He then glanced at Sana who had that weird expression on her face and Isak scrunched his nose, not liking the way she was looking at him. “Hva?”

“It seems like he's not the only one who is fond of this Even that you speak of,” said Sana and playfully waggled her eyebrows.

“OH SHUT UP SANA. He's just Magne's teacher, that's it. There's nothing-”

“If you say so,” said Sana, and her laughter filled the kitchen when she saw how red her best friend's face had gotten. Just as Isak was about to say something as a protest, the kitchen door slowly opened and Magne slowly stepped inside. His hair was still messy, sticking out and Isak chuckled when he saw that his son was holding his precious plush toy in his arms.

“Morning, daddy,” said Magne happily and rubbed his eyes, giggling when Isak scooped him up into his arms and kissed his temple, Magne's giggling growing louder as his dad's hair tickled his cheek.

“Good morning, Magne,” said Isak. “Did you sleep okay?” he then asked and Magne nodded happily. It was only then that he noticed Sana sitting there as well and his eyes literally lit up when he saw his aunt.

“Aunt Sana is here too?” asked Magne happily and ran to her when Isak placed him back down onto the floor. “I came to see how you're doing, squirt,” she then added and ruffled Magne's hair, who puffed his cheeks and started fixing his hair.

“I am not a squirt,” stated Magne firmly. “I'm in school,” he then added and proudly patted his chest. “I'm a big boy. Right daddy?” Asked Magne happily and looked at Isak, who nodded.

“Two against one, huh? Not fair,” said Sana and pouted, making Magne giggle in the process.

“Now then, how about breakfast?” asked Isak and Magne nodded, he was starving.

~

Later that day, Magne was peacefully sitting at the table, not minding his classmates as he was busy with his drawing for Isak. He decided to put extra amount of hard work that day, because he wanted to impress his father. Even was watching the kids play and was preparing for the latter activities, but he still kept an eye on Magne, who looked like he was having fun. He then looked around the classroom and his smile widened; the classroom was full of children, who were currently playing and he couldn't hide his smile really. Being a preschool teacher was something that he always wished to be and he absolutely loved his job.

His eyes then travelled back to little Magne, who for some reason wore a troubled expression on his face, so Even decided to check up on what was bothering the little boy. He got onto his legs and walked across the playroom, reminding some of the children not to shout so loud and then knelt next to Magne, who quickly covered his drawing, in attempt to hide it from his teacher. He didn't want Mr. Bech Næsheim to see it; it was meant for daddy. The funny feeling in his tummy returned and he groaned, wishing that Even would go away. Also, his dad and Mr. Bech Næsheim were friends and Magne didn't want Even to give his secret away to Isak.

“Is there something wrong, Magne?” asked Even softly and then frowned, because Magne ignored him completely. “Are you drawing this for your dad? Can you show me?” he tried again and felt helpless, because the boy just stared in front of himself. But in the end, Magne slowly shook his head and Even smiled, happy to see that the other one was at least responding to his questions. “Nei?” asked Even and chuckled. “Well, I get it. You want to keep it as a secret for your dad, right?”

“Ja,” muttered Magne and chewed on his lower lip.

“I understand,” said Even softly and Magne nodded, feeling a bit better. He liked Mr. Bech Næsheim better than most people; he didn't push him into doing something that he didn't want to do. He seemed like a nice person. Probably. “I just came to check if you are feeling okay. It looked like you were having troubles with something. But if you don't want to tell me, you don't have to.” That was what Even said, but he still wished that the other one would open up to him a bit more. They were doing so well before.

For a few next moments, Magne stayed completely silent as he started thinking about Mr. Bech Næsheim's offer. The thing that had been bugging him before was related to the drawing. There was something that he didn't know how to draw and that was the reason he looked so down before. He wanted his drawing to be perfect for Isak. “If I show you my drawing,” started Magne and Even arched an eyebrow. “Promise you won't tell my daddy what I drew?”

Even's heart melted at the boy's innocent words and he quickly nodded. “I promise, cross my heart,” said Even and made a cross sign across his chest. “Look, my mouth is sealed,” was what Even said next and closed his mouth, locking it and he then threw the imaginary key away, bringing out a smile on Magne's face, which he was happy to see.

“You're funny,” said Magne and giggled when Even stuck out his tongue.

Even patiently waited for Magne to turn around his drawing and a smile tugged at his lips when he saw that Magne drew his favourite Avengers. It seemed that the boy really liked them, which was beyond adorable to the man and his smile widened when he saw 'For dad' written next to the drawing. The only strange thing to Even was that Magne was using only a blue crayon for his drawing. “You already know how to spell, Magne?” Asked Even, quite surprised. As it seemed to the teacher, it really looked like Isak was trying his best to raise Magne on his own. He knew that the man was a single parent, but that was it really. Other from that, Isak was still a complete stranger to Even.

“Ja,” stated Magne proudly when he saw that he impressed Mr. Bech Næsheim. “Daddy taught me.”

“I see. Well, you are very bright, young man,” said Even and Magne smiled again. He liked that Even called him like that, it made him feel more grown up. “Now then, what seems to be the problem?”

“T-the eyes,” stuttered Magne and pointed. “They look weird.”

“Hmm? They seem fine to me,” said Even. “But if you want to change a bit how they look... can I?” asked Even as he took the blue crayon into his hand, asking the boy for a permission to help him finish the drawing. Magne slowly nodded and leaned forward, his big eyes getting huge once Even was done with drawing and Magne smiled.

“Thank you, Mr. Bech Næsheim.”

“Aren't you going to colour him?” asked Even curiously.

“No. I don't like other colours. Only blue,” explained Magne and looked up at the man, who was quite surprised to hear that. “I-is that okay?” he then asked and that little stutter in his voice woke Even up from his day dreaming.

“Of course. You are the artist after all,” said Even and Magne nodded happily. 

Isak was finished with work a lot sooner that day than he expected to be, so he headed straight for the preschool. He knew that children were sleeping at that hour, but he didn't care. Somehow, he hoped that he would have a chance to speak with Even. It was an extremely silly idea, but he couldn't help himself really. Up until then, he didn't have a proper chance to talk with Even and it was true that a parent teacher conference was going to be soon, but that didn't matter at all. He wanted to know how Magne was doing. Plus, maybe he'd get a chance to get to know the other one a little better.

Once he arrived to the preschool, he slowly stepped inside and just as he expected, the kids were asleep. Since the door had a glass in the middle, he could see inside of the classroom where Magne was and he chuckled when he saw his son, soundly asleep, squeezing his plush toy close to his chest. The fact that he was able to fall asleep somewhere else than home and without him around, was like a miracle to Isak. Magne was always afraid of unknown places as well, he said that they didn't make him feel safe. His eyes then travelled to Even, who was currently reading a book and watching over the kids. It was all thanks to that man and Isak knew that he needed to thank him properly, in person.

Even was reading a book as the children were asleep, until something distracted him. He could sense that someone was at the door and he chuckled quietly when he saw Isak peeking inside. It was an adorable sight to behold and it got even more adorable when the other one became aware that he was caught. Isak quickly stepped away and sat down, patiently waiting for children to wake up as he was trying to calm down his heart. He felt so embarrassed that Even caught him staring like a complete freak and he sighed, shaking his head. Then, the door slowly opened and Even quietly stepped outside, slowly closing the door behind him and his smile widened when he saw that isak's face was flushed.

“Hei,” said Even softly. “You're earlier than usual. Do you want me to wake magne up and take him home?” He then asked.

“Nei, Nei,” said Isak and shook his head. “It's nothing like that. I finished work earlier today and came here, because I had nothing else to do,” said Isak, straightforward as always, but then realised that he probably shouldn't be since Even softly laughed and he felt like a complete moron. It was funny how he could never really relax with Even around.

“Ah, I see,” said Even and sat down next to Isak, whose eyes widened. “Should I wait here with you, so that you don't get lonely?”

Isak's face flushed deeper and he cleared his throat. “Nei, it's okay. You have to watch the children anyway. I don't want to be in a way of your work.”

“They are sleeping, Mr. Valtersen,” said Even softly and Isak made a face when he was called like that. “Also, I can see them through the glass,” he then added and pointed to the door and Isak slowly nodded.

“Just Isak's fine.”

“Excuse me?”

“You don't have to be so formal, you can just call me by my first name,” said Isak. He didn't like it when people would call him Mr. Valtersen, it made him feel old. Besides, that was how people called his father. So, just Isak was fine. “Just Isak is completely fine.”

“Okay, as you wish,” said Even and the smile remained on his face. It was only then when he realised how attractive Isak really was. His blond and curly hair looked amazing against his pale complexion and his eyes were to die for. Not to mention his long eyelashes. Isak noticed that Even's eyes were travelling up and down his face as he was trying to take everything in and Isak cleared his throat, feeling awkward.

“So, how are things going with Magne?” Asked Isak, which worked like a cold shower for Even as he was reminded that Isak was a parent, knowing that he needed to keep the relationship professional.

“We are slowly making some progress,” said Even and cleared his throat. “For example, today is the first day that he managed to fall asleep on his own like that. Usually, he was too afraid to do so, so he kept me company while the others were sleeping. Another thing that I've learned is that he really loves drawing,” said Even and Isak smiled, nodding. It was true, Magne had always loved drawing, it helped him to express his feelings and emotions when it was too complicated for him to use words. “And he is really good at it as well. You've got a talented son, Isak.”

Isak felt his stomach make a flop when Even called him by his first name and he wondered if it was really a good idea to have Even call him that. “I am glad that he is doing so well,” said Isak. “I was expecting it to go a lot worse. I am amazed that he was able to fall asleep here, on his own. He trusts you a lot and I am very thankful that you are being so patient with him.”

“You're giving me far too much credit. I am only a teacher and-”

“I mean it,” said Isak again and nodded, Even's heart filling itself with happiness and warmth. Knowing that he was able to help a child in need meant that he was doing his job correctly. “Takk,” whispered Isak and Even chuckled.

“Magne really is a bright little boy,” said Even. “Today I've noticed that he already knows how to spell and he said that you taught him that?” Asked Even and Isak nodded proudly. “And he really likes the Avengers, doesn't he?” asked the older male, making Isak chuckle.

“He's obsessed with it, it's not even funny anymore,” said Isak.

“I think it's adorable,” said Even and leaned back, moving a bit closer to Isak. “I am really glad that he is slowly opening up to me. However, I would like him to play with other children as well. He is always playing alone and gets very anxious when someone approaches him,” said Even softly and Isak looked at him, but didn't say anything. “I won't push him into doing something that he'd hate, but I'd still want to encourage him to communicate with other children. If this is something that you agree on.”

“Of course, I'd love it if he would finally make a friend his own age,” said Isak.

“Was he always so easily scared?” asked Even suddenly and that was when Isak straightened himself up in his chair. “Or did something happen? Accident? Did you and your wife get a divorce?” Asked Even then, but quickly realised that he had gone too far this time when he saw the look on Isak's face. He couldn't believe his own words as well and he quickly shook his head. He didn't even know what made him say that. He always wanted to help parents in need, but this wasn't the way to do it. One couldn't just go and stick his nose into other people's business. It was unprofessional.

“A divorce?” Asked Isak, confused.

“Nei, nei, you don't have to answer,” said Even quickly. “I shouldn't have asked anyway. I went too far, I apologise. Look, maybe it's for the best if I-”

“I adopted Magne when he was 2,” said Isak and Even finally stopped talking, feeling how awkwardness fell between the two of them. “He has been battling with anxiety even before that,” said Isak then and shrugged. It wasn't something that he kept as a secret, so he had no problems telling Even that.

“I'm sorry, I had no idea that... I was in no place to ask something so personal and-”

“I don't mind,” said Isak and gave Even a small smile. “Magne knows that he is adopted, but prefers not to talk about it, which is understandable. It's important for other people to know, at least this much. Sometimes it's better to know, just so that the child isn't confused.”

“You're right,” said Even and slowly nodded, still feeling horrible for his question before. He knew that it made Isak feel uncomfortable. “But still, I shouldn't-”

“I said it's okay,” said Isak and smiled. “Really, I mean it.”

Even was about to say something, but when he looked over to the kids, he noticed that some of them were starting to wake up and he quickly got up onto his legs. “I should go, they are waking up. I'll bring out Magne when he wakes up, okay?” asked Even, his voice small and Isak sighed.

“Okay,” said Isak and nodded, watching Even going into the classroom as he patiently waited for Magne to come out. It didn't take long the boy join him in the hallway and Isak chuckled when he saw a piece of paper in Magne's hands. So, the boy drew him something as a present again. That warmed Isak's heart up again and he smiled widely when Magne ran up to him, to give him a big hug.

“Look, look, daddy, I drew something. For you,” said Magne happily and jumped excitedly when Isak took the drawing into his hands, Even's chuckling at the sight. He had never seen Magne to be so excited before. 

Isak's face was hurting from smiling too much; he let out a hitched breath when he saw 'For dad. From Magne and Even's written on the drawing and his eyes widened when he saw Even's name written there. It must've been quite a thing that Even did, because Magne never allowed other people to touch his drawings. “Thank you Magne, it is a lovely drawing,” said Isak happily and Magne's eyes lit up. 

“Really? Mr. Bech Næsheim helped too. See? I wrote his name too,” said Magne and pointed to where the names were written.

“I see. Well, Takk.”

After that, Magne started to get ready to go home and the smile remained on Isak's face as he continued to observe the drawing, his eyes focused on Magne's name. Isak looked up, to thank Even, but he was disappointed to see that the man had already returned back to the classroom. He sighed and bowed his head.

Some other time then. Pity.


	2. Club

Isak was currently sitting in a club and was bored out of his mind, the loud music in the club playing slowly driving him insane. It was a while since he had last gone out like that, to have a couple of drinks and to spend some time alone. Honestly, he didn’t like it one bit and he didn’t miss it anyway, so he didn’t see the point of going there. He would much rather be at home with Magne and be doing something together with him. However, it was Sana, who convinced the young man that he should get out for a change and she even offered to babysit Magne, who couldn’t be happier to spend some time alone with his aunt.

Sana insisted that it was time that Isak met someone new, since it’s been a while that he was in a relationship, but Isak couldn’t be bothered about that. Relationships were something that he never managed to keep up with, there was too much work and time involved with being in a relationship. Also, now that he had Magne with him, he didn’t one anymore, to be honest. All that he wanted to do was to peacefully raise up Magne on his own, with the help of his friends and family.

Isak took his beer bottle into his hand and took a few sips of it, looking around the club in a desperate need to find someone familiar. In the past, he would usually visit the club with his best friend, Jonas, but after the other one got married, he didn’t have as much free time as he did before, which was completely understandable. Yet, he still wished that he had at least someone with him at a moment like that, he felt extremely silly to be sitting there all alone and he knew that he had to look pathetic and desperate the way that he was looking around. He cursed under his breath, he shouldn’t have listened to Sana. It was a mistake to come to the bar all alone. Plus, no one seemed to be interested into at least talking with him, not even the bartender and he suddenly felt really tired.

Isak looked towards the dance floor and rolled his eyes when he saw the people dancing… if that could be even considered as dancing. People were literally just grinding against each other and Isak let out an annoyed groan. He was probably just bitter and jealous because he couldn’t get a boyfriend. Either way, he wasn’t having a good time, he felt so out of it. He didn’t belong into a place like that and in the end, he decided to leave the club after he’d finish his drink.

“Ah, this sucks,” whispered Isak and emptied the bottle, sighing. He took his phone out of his pocket, to see if he had any new texts or missed calls, but he was met with disappointment when he saw that no one appeared to be missing him. As he closed his texts, his smile widened when he saw the wallpaper of his phone. It was a picture of him and Magne, the boy’s smile bright as ever and Isak’s mood brightened just a little bit.

He soon placed the phone back into his pocket and leaned forward against the bar, supporting himself on his elbow and then closed his eyes, listening to the loud music of the club. His peace was soon disturbed when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Since he was caught off guard, all of the colour drained from his face and he almost fell onto the floor. When he heard a soft laughter coming from his right, his face reddened with embarrassment and anger. He turned around, to face the idiotic creature that was laughing at him. However, he quickly closed his mouth and his eyes widened when he saw no other than Even standing behind him, the usual warm smile on his face.

“Even?” asked Isak slowly and frowned.

“Hei, Isak,” said Even happily, Isak’s heart hammering like crazy when the man offered him one of his warmest smiles. Once again, Isak was reminded just how much he came to like Magne’s teacher even though he didn’t like to admit that to himself. “Funny running into you here,” he then added and chuckled when he saw that Isak was struggling to come up with something clever to say. It was really an adorable sight.

That evening, he had been observing Isak for quite some time, waiting to see if Isak was meeting with someone else. But as it turned out, that wasn’t the case and even though his mind was telling him that it wasn’t a good idea to get so chummy and friendly with children’s parents that he was teaching, he tried not to think of that too much. There was something about Isak that wouldn’t allow him to leave him alone and in the end, he decided to approach the younger male. “Cat got your tongue?” he then playfully asked, because Isak still wasn’t talking.

“What are you doing here?” blurted out Isak in panic, but then groaned when he realised it how it sounded. Luckily, Even didn’t seem to be offended by his stupid comment.

“It’s Friday evening, what do you think? Or do you also think that I live in preschool as well?” asked Even, teasing again.

“Hva?”

“According to Magne, I never leave the school, it is my home,” said Even and chuckled, a smile cracking Isak’s serious expression as well. “I came with a friend, but she ended up ditching me,” he added and then sat down next to Isak, who also slowly sat back down, his eyes immediately travelling to the place where Even's leg playfully bumped into his own. “Can I keep you company, or are you waiting for someone?”

“Nei,” said Isak quickly and rubbed his sweaty palms together, looking at Even, who arched his eyebrow as he was patiently waiting for Isak to continue. Isak’s eyes were fixed onto Even's ones. Even noticed that Isak staring at him and he didn’t mind it one bit. In fact, he was doing the same. When Isak found himself to be staring at Even so bluntly, he quickly looked away and cleared his throat. “I, uh, I mean, I don’t mind you keeping me company and,” said Isak slowly, his face heating up. “And no, I wasn’t waiting for anyone.”

“Good,” said Even, pleased with the reply that he had gotten and ordered himself a drink. Isak was playing with the empty bottle and was wondering what to say next. However, since he knew himself how he was around people that he fancied and he didn’t want to make an ass out of himself in front of Even, he decided to stay silent for the time being. “Something the matter?” asked Even when he noticed the troubled expression on Isak’s face.

“Huh?”

“Oh, it just looked like something was troubling you,” muttered Even and sighed. He saw that his question made things awkward between them and he clicked with his tongue. “I apologise, I am a terribly nosy person. I really need to stop sticking my nose into other people’s business.” Even then quietly sipped on his drink once he received it and looked at Isak, who quickly shook his head.

“I don’t mind the questions,” said Isak and shrugged, not really getting it why Even was apologising again. He didn’t mind people asking him questions, he had nothing to hide and he always told it like it was. The truth. He didn’t like lying, plus, he was a terrible liar according to other people. “Sana, my best friend, convinced me to go out, but it sucked,” said Isak and smiled.

“Sucked, as in past tense?” asked Even and his smile grew.

“Well, you are here now, Mr. Bech Næsheim, to keep me entertained,” said Isak.

“Challenge accepted,” said Even quietly, but loud enough for Isak to hear it and he chuckled. Isak’s playful side was something new to Even, but it was a definitely a well appreciated thing. Then again, it was understandable, since the two of them only saw each other in preschool, where they had to keep things somehow professional, at least on Even's side. However, now that it was just the two of them, in a club on a Friday evening, things were a lot different. “How long has it been? Since you were able to go out and relax like this?” suddenly asked Even.

“Long. Too long, in a way. Years,” said Isak and Even's eyes widened just a little bit. It was true, after he adopted Magne, Isak was on duty as a father 24/7, wanting to be around Magne all the time, just in case he needed him. He knew that his other family member were always there to help Isak, but the young man was the type of a person that didn’t know how to ask other people for help. He didn’t want to depend on other people and be a burden for them. It was true that Isak’s social life was suffering due to that, but he didn’t mind paying that price if it was for Magne, he was ready to give up everything for him. So, something like dating was completely out of question.

“Wow,” said Even, because he was shocked. Then again, Isak was a single parent, so that of course wouldn’t give him a lot of time for going out. “That really is too long. You need some time off, you know,” said Even and saw how Isak’s body stiffened up a little bit. “Going out every now and then isn’t going to hurt anyone, Isak,” he then said when he saw that the other must’ve been thinking that and he was right, that was exactly what Isak was debating with himself.

“I need to be there for Magne,” muttered Isak and looked at Even, who sighed.

“And you are, you have always been there for him,” said Even and felt a bit stupid, since they knew each other only a few weeks. However, Even could tell it almost immediately which parents were there for their kids and which weren’t always there. “It might sound a bit stupid, because we have just met, but trust me. I know it when I see it, and you are an amazing father,” said Even. “I honestly don’t know how you manage having a full time job and being a single parent.” After that, Even stopped talking, because he knew that he said some things that were rather intimate, so he allowed Isak some time to process everything.

Isak stopped playing with the bottle as he carefully listened to everything that Even said and a faint smile appeared on his lips as he slowly nodded. Hearing a teacher say that was more than welcome to Isak, it felt good knowing that he was doing a good job with raising his kid. “Yeah, you’re right, I am pretty amazing,” muttered Isak after a while and bit into his lower lip as he tried not to smile too widely. “Also, I should have some fun once in a while.”

“That’s the spirit,” said Even and emptied his glass. “Now then, enough with the serious talk and let’s start having fun,” said Even and waggled his eyebrows as he looked at the dance floor, Isak’s body freezing when he figured out what the older one had in mind and he quickly shook his head.

“Nei, don’t you even think about it,” said Isak firmly. “No dancing.”

“Why not?” asked Even innocently. “Come on, it’ll be fun,” he then said and pouted when Isak shook his head in process.

“Nei.”

“Now I get where Magne gets his stubborn side from,” teased Even and Isak pressed his lips together firmly.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“You worry far too much about what other people are going to think of you,” said Even and got onto his legs, grabbing Isak’s wrist in the process and he dragged him onto his feet as well. “You need to let go of that self-control that you are so desperately clinging onto and just for with the flow once in a while.”

“I get what you mean, but,” hissed Isak. “Nei. Not like this, I am not going to dance.” Isak frowned when Even chuckled and then without saying anything, he started dragging him towards the dance floor. “Even, nei. Nei!”

“Oh, shush. And stop being a baby,” said Even and Isak took in a deep breath, tempted to smack the man’s hand away, but in the end did nothing and allowed himself to be dragged among a crowd of dancing people.

The song that was playing in the club was upbeat and Isak was miserable, the look on his face bringing out a smile on Even's face as he guided him deeper among the crowd and Isak let out an annoyed groan when he was being pressed against someone. By then, Even had already let go of him, leaving Isak looking like a poor and lost puppy, searching for the man on the dance floor. It didn’t take them long to find each other, since Even was also searching for him and he waved to Isak’s direction, the younger one making his way closer to the man.

“Even,” whined Isak. “I can’t-”

“Stop saying that,” said Even, who was already moving to the rhythm of the music and Isak puffed his cheeks. “And just do it, don’t think about it too much.”

Isak tried to say something as a protest again, but in the end decided not to and listened to Even's advice. It was true, he probably should have gone with the flow for a change, so he promised to himself that he would at least try to dance. Hoping that he didn’t look too stupid, Isak slowly started moving his body to the beat of the song and glanced at Even, who sent him an encouraging smile, which put Isak’s mind at peace for the time being and after a while he started having even fun. As he was starting to get a bit bolder with his dance moves, he bumped into a person behind him, who accidentally pushed him towards Even's direction a bit too hard. As he bumped into the older male, Even chuckled at Isak’s clumsiness and caught him by wrapping an arm around his waist. He then quickly let go off the younger male and smiled when he saw the redness creeping onto Isaks cheeks.

“Having fun?” asked Even.

“Yeah,” admitted Isak and looked down, but then back up into Even's eyes and blinked a few times. As he kept on staring into the other’s eyes, the music changed, and much slower song started playing in the club. Some of the people walked away from the dance floor and mostly only couples were left there, awkward silence falling between Even and Isak.

“We should-”

“Now’s your chance to invite someone to dance with you,” said Even. “There’s a lot of girls that I’ve noticed that were looking over at you before and if you want, I could-”

“Nei,” said Isak quickly, too quickly.

“Well, if there’s someone that you fancy here, don’t let me stop you from dancing with them,” said Even and noticed how Isak made a big gulp. Someone that he fancied, huh? Isak’s eyes were fixated on Even and he opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out. “You look nervous. There’s someone you like, isn’t there?” asked Even and started looking around.

“T-there is,” stuttered Isak and let out a hitched breath as he kept on looking at Even, his heart hammering against his ribcage.

“Really?” asked Even happily. “Who?” he then asked and started looking around again. He then looked at Isak, to see if the other was also looking for that person, but Even was surprised when he saw Isak stared directly at him. “Isak?” softly asked Even and then smiled when he finally realised it. It was him, wasn’t it? “Is it me?” asked Even carefully. Isak didn’t respond for quite some time, but his silence was enough to let Even know that it was the truth.

“Umm,” stammered Isak. “I, uh, look, it’s-”

“I understand,” said Even and smiled.

“I have to go,” said Isak suddenly and Even was a bit taken back. “Yeah, it’s late. I have to check up on Magne and I need to-” he then started again, but his voice trailed off as Even stepped closer and gently removed some of the hair that was falling over his eyes. Isak dug his sweaty fingers into his jeans and let out a hitched breath when Even's face was suddenly very close to his.

“Okay,” said Even and bit into his lower lip. He didn’t really want to end their conversation, but he didn’t want to seem pushy again as well. Besides, he would be able to see Isak soon. On Monday. “Thanks for hanging out with me for a bit. I had fun, we should do this more often.”

“Yeah,” said Isak and a smile tugged at his lips. “I had fun too.”

Even nodded and dragged his teeth over his lower lip as a smile remained on his lips. “Bye, then.”

Isak nodded as well and slowly turned away. “Goodbye, Even. See you soon,” he then added, before taking off.

As isak left, even slowly walked back to the bar, ordering himself another drink and he chuckled. Isak really was an interesting man and he definitely wanted to see more of him. With that on his mind, Even soon left the club, with Isak on his mind until the end of the night.

  
  
  


~

  
  
  


That day, wasn't Magne's day. He was in a good mood when he came to preschool, but things soon turned south when Even tried to include the boy in one of the group activities. The man made all of the kids sit on the floor in a circle and Magne at first didn’t protest the idea, because he didn’t know what Mr. Bech Næsheim was going to make them do. However, when Even explained the idea of all of them sharing something about each other in front of the whole class, Magne froze completely and he just wanted to disappear. All that Even wanted to do really was have the kids talk about things they liked; their toys or their hobbies, nothing special. The first idea was to have the kids talk about their families, but since he remembered that Magne’s situation was a lot more complicated, he decided not to do that. So he chose talking about hobbies instead.

Magne’s facial expression turned into a troubled one once Mr. Bech Næsheim explained the ruled of his so-called game and for the entire time, he kept looking away from the man. Up until then, Even didn’t include Magne in group activities, because the boy always refused to do so and he didn’t want to pushy the boy too soon. However, now that he was with his class for the whole month, he decided that he had probably gained enough of Magne’s trust to encourage him to do some things in a group. He had Isak’s consent and all that he wanted from Magne was to open up to his classmates, just a little bit. He didn’t expect a miracle, he knew that he needed to be realistic and patient. It didn’t matter how long it was going to take, but he was determined to put a lot of his time and work into Magne, because he didn’t want the boy to grow up being isolated from other people. It was a thing that he knew far too well about and he didn’t want Magne to feel like that growing up as well.

Magne, on the other hand, was angry with his teacher. He somehow felt betrayed and he slowly began to shut down as kids started explaining about their favourite toys and things that they liked to do with their parents. Magne’s little body started shaking in fear and he felt that annoying feeling in his tummy that he didn’t like one bit. He twiddled his little fingers together and grabbed onto his Iron Man plush, squeezing it tightly against his chest. He didn’t want to talk in front of others. He didn’t get it why he had to talk about himself, why would Mr. Bech Næsheim try to make him do something that he obviously hated?

When it was finally Magne’s time to speak, all of the classroom became quiet and took in a deep breath when the boy squeezing his toy close to himself, trying to make himself invisible. Even’s heart fell to the pit of his stomach, because Magne looked terrified and he already knew that it wasn’t going to work out. However, just the fact that Magne agreed to sit in a circle with everyone was a sign of improvement. His past experiences had taught him when the time to stop pushing was and he had reached it with Magne at that exact time. If he was to push any further, he might risk making the things much worse than they already were. Because of this, he told other kids to go play, telling them that they were going to continue the exercise later, knowing that he needed to speak with Magne alone. He needed to let him know that everything was okay.

“Shh, calm down, Magne,” said Even softly and sat down next to the shaking boy and resisted the urge to hug the child. It killed him to see the other one in a state like that, but he knew that he needed to be patient. Changes weren’t going to happen overnight. He needed to be glad that Magne was able to open up to him at least to that extent. “Everything is okay. If you are too scared, you don’t have to speak in front of everyone, okay?” he asked softly and sighed because Magne was ignoring him.

“I-I don’t have to?” asked Magne quietly and weight lifted off of his chest when he heard say that. His anger towards the man vanished into thin air and he slowly looked up, his eyes still full of fear, looking around the room and he frowned when he saw that his classmates weren’t sitting in circle anymore.

“No, it is completely fine,” said Even and scooted a bit closer to the boy. “You already made a lot of progress, you know?” asked the man and chuckled when he saw that the other one was staring at him utterly confused. Magne didn’t get it, what did he do? What did Mr. Bech Næsheim think when he said that? “What I mean is… when you first came here you were too scared to even go into the classroom, right?” asked Even and watched how Magne nodded. He knew that he should explain in to him in a simple way, after all Magne was only 5. “Well, today you were brave enough to sit with all of your classmates and you weren’t scared at all. Am I right?”

Magne frowned and the frown between his eyebrows deepened when he continued to think about it. After a while, he kind of understood what was trying to tell him, so he slowly nodded and puffed his cheeks. “This is because I am a big and brave boy?” he then asked and a smile appeared on Even’s face. He was glad that he was able to make Magne calm down so easily, it would take him quite a while just a week ago. Even that alone was a huge progress.

“That’s it,” said Even. “Don’t tell the others, but in my opinion you are totally the bravest one in here,” he then said and even though he chuckled, he meant what he said. From what he knew about Magne’s past, he knew that the boy didn’t have it easy, so he truly admired Magne in a way.

“Really?” asked Magne and his eyes literally lit up with proudness. Even though Magne was really young, he was very well aware of the fact that courage was something that he lacked, so hearing Mr. Bech Næsheim said that made him feel very happy.

“Really,” said Even then and Magne happily giggled. However, his smile soon disappeared when he remembered what happened earlier. Apparently he wasn’t brave enough to speak in front of the other kids and became concerned when he saw the smile disappearing from Magne’s lips. “Magne?”

“I-I wasn’t brave before…” started Magne and looked down.

“Oh, that? Don’t worry about it,” said Even and Magne’s body tensed up. “Speaking in front of other people is very scary sometimes, Magne, so it's okay. You will try it some other time,” he said, but his words didn’t help at all.

“But others weren’t afraid,” muttered the boy and chewed on his lower lip.

“No, no, don’t think about it like that,” said Even, because it killed him to see that Magne was already comparing himself to others at such young age. “Not all people are the same. Some people are good at speaking in front of others, and some are really good at drawing, like you,” said Even, Magne’s eyes big eyes fixated on him as he was carefully listening to him. “And it is completely okay if you didn’t manage to do it on a first try,” he then quickly added. “This is another secret, but when I was your age, I was afraid of public speaking as well.”

“Public?”

“It means other people, speaking in front of other people,” explained Even patiently.

Magne slowly nodded and a smile came upon his face when Mr. Bech Næsheim shared another secret with him. That way, it was easier for him to trust his teacher and as he continued to talk with him, the annoying feeling in his tummy disappeared. It also calmed him down to hear that he used to have the same problem. “How do you become not afraid of it?” asked Magne with a small voice and his serious question surprised Even.

“With time and loads of practice,” was all that Even said and then sighed. “And even then there are days that I am still afraid.”

“You are afraid?” blurted out Magne, much louder than before, causing some of his classmates to burst into laughter and Even smiled as well when he saw how surprised Magne looked. He was precious, really. “Of what?”

“Oh, lots of things,” said Even and tried to think of some funny things to tell Magne, so that he could bring out a smile on his face again. “I am afraid of the dark and, umm, frogs. Yeah, I really dislike frogs. Don’t you think they’re scary?” asked Even playfully and he could see that the fact that he was making fun of himself was starting to entertain the little boy.

“Frogs?!” asked Magne and his giggling filled the playroom, Even’ sheart filling itself with joy. “Frogs are not scary. They’re cute.”

“Cute?” asked Even and scrunched his nose. “Not really the word I’d use to describe them.”

“But they are not scary!” said Magne and covered his mouth with his little hands, laughing out loud when Even puffed his cheeks and pretended to be sulking.

“Oh really?” asked Even. “I can’t believe it, I am being made fun of by a five year old!” whined Even and crossed his arms on top of his chest. One might call such a behaviour childish, but it was necessary to be able to get closer to children. Also, Even stopped caring what people thought of him years ago. “This isn’t fair.”

“There, there, Mr. Bech Næsheim,” said Magne and stepped closer to Even. He then placed his tiny hand on top of Even’s head and patted his hair, as if he was trying to comfort him. As he did that, Even’s eyes widened and his body froze for just a second, his heart melting at the process as Magne made a step back and looked at him. “It's okay.”

“I suppose so,” said Even’s and chuckled.

As Magne stopped laughing, he looked around the room and he then took in a deep breath. To tell the truth, he wanted to make new friends, but he was just too scared to talk to other kids there. He heard others chatting about things he also liked and even though he wanted to talk with them as well, he didn’t have enough courage. Then again, Mr. Bech Næsheim did call him brave earlier. “Mr. Bech Næsheim?” asked Magne slowly and gently tugged onto the sleeve of Even’s sleeve as he stood up.

“Ja?”

“I-Is it okay if I play with others?” asked Magne slowly, but firmly.

Even’s was quite surprised by the question, but then realised that his words had an impact on Magne and he nodded. “Sure you can,” he said and then his eyes widened when Magne reached up with his hand.

“Can you hold my hand?” asked Magne softly when he remembered how holding Mr. Bech Næsheim’s hand made things less scary on the first day of preschool. He was scared this time as well, but he trusted his teacher.

That little and innocent question brought tears to Even’s eyes. He bit down onto his lower lip, because it made him incredibly happy to see just how much Magne trusted him and he slowly nodded. “Yeah, of course Magne,” he said and took Magne’s little hand into his own one.

  
  


Isak cursed when he looked at the clock. He was running late, because he was held at work and he was sick with worry. He knew how much it meant to Magne for him being there to pick him up on time. And he always came at the promised time, but this time he couldn’t hold onto the promise that he gave to his son and he was devastated. When he finally reached the preschool, he was headed straight to the classroom where Magne was supposed to be in, but cursed when he saw that it was empty. Just as he was about to give into his worries, he remembered that at a time like that, teachers usually took the kids out to the playground and he was right.

When Isak stepped outside, he soon found the group of children playing on the playground, but was utterly confused when he couldn’t find Magne. He expected the boy to be somewhere alone and after he couldn’t find him, his eyes quickly located Even, who was sitting on the bench with other teachers. When Even noticed that Isak was there, he was on his legs almost immediately and he quickly made his way to the younger man, who looked worried.

“Where is Magne?” asked Isak.

“Over there, playing with others,” said Even and pointed to the group of children, which were playing on the swing set.

Isak narrowed his eyes and when he finally located his son, a huge weight was lifted off of his chest. Wait, hva? Magne was playing with others? “He’s playing with others?” asked Isak in disbelief and blinked a few times. “Wait, hva? How did you-”

“This was all him,” said Even softly and looked at Isak. “I might have pushed a bit too far at first… I tried to include him into a discussion with other children, but that failed. However, we then had a little chat and he managed to calm down. After that, he asked me if it was okay to play with others. At first, he needed me there for a few moments, but now… look at him,” said Even and smiled as he looked at Magne, who was happily running around.

“You’re amazing,” blurted out Isak and Even arched an eyebrow. When he realised that he said that out loud, Isak stopped talking and then looked down as his face burned with embarrassment. But he meant what he said, Even was amazing with Magne. “I, uh, I meant that you are amazing with Magne,” stammered Isak. “And in general as well,” he quickly added.

“Do go on, Isak,” said Even playfully and even though he wanted to step closer to the younger male, he managed to keep his distance. After that day in the club, they haven’t had a chance to meet in person like that again, which was pretty devastating. Even definitely wanted to hear all about how much Isak liked him.

“Some other time,” said Isak. “I don’t want it to get into your head,” he then added playfully and chuckled.

“Some other time? What about tomorrow?” asked Even slowly, hoping that he wasn’t taking it too far. “Let’s say around 7?” he then added, half joking, but there was some seriousness in his voice as well. Keeping things professional or not, he still wanted to get to know Isak better.

Isak’s jaw dropped when he heard those words coming out of Even’s mouth and he cleared his throat. Was Mr. Bech Næsheim asking him out? That couldn’t be it, could it? “Are you asking me out?” asked Isak quietly, so that other people wouldn’t hear him.

“Nei, I am asking you if you are free for a parent teacher meeting,” said Even and rolled his eyes, but then chuckled when he saw the confusion on Isak’s face. “Of course I’m asking you out,” he then said, this time quieter as well, but since they were standing so far from others, there was very little chance that they could be overheard by someone else.

“Ah, I see,” said Isak and puffed his cheeks, his heartbeat fastening a bit. He still hasn’t gotten used to how straightforward Even was. Then again, he wouldn’t mind hanging out with him again. Last time at the club, he had a good time with him. “Maybe, if I’ll have the time,” he then said and Even smiled.

“Just send me a text if you’re interested,” said Even when he remembered that he gave Isak his phone number on the first day that they met. Isak slowly nodded and even though he was tempted to say that he was very much interested, he managed to keep his tongue behind his teeth that time. “Good,” said Even.

“Now then,” said Isak and cleared his throat. “It’s best if I go and get Magne,” said Isak and nodded, watching how Isak left first, but he was right behind him.

Magne was beyond happy to see his dad and he happily ran towards him, explaining on his way home how Mr. Bech Næsheim told him that he was the bravest one in the class and was going on and on about how Even disliked frogs. Isak stayed silent throughout the entire way back home and listened to Magne’s rumbling about Even, which he of course didn’t mind one bit, since was on his mind as well.


	3. Rendez-vous

Isak was currently standing in his bedroom and was watching himself in the mirror, making sure that he looked okay. It was a few days later, since Even had invited him out, and it took Isak a bit to gather enough courage to finally text the man. He was kind of surprised, to be honest, he thought that Even would contact him earlier, but he didn't receive any texts from the older male. The reason was probably that Even didn't want to be seen as too pushy and Isak understood that. So, after finally contacting Even, they made plans to meet up at the club where they met the last time.

Isak pushed his lips together and took in a deep breath, because he was nervous. It had literally been years since he was out on a date and even then he sucked at dating people. Isak didn't want to mess things up this time as well, not with Even. Even was an amazing person and the last thing that Isak wanted was to screw something up. He had spent about an hour preparing for the date, even though he himself didn't know if he could call it a date or not. He wanted to believe that it was a date, so he decided to call it like that.

A small smile spread across his face as he continued to observe himself in the mirror and he then chuckled. He was definitely looking forward to the date, his heart jumping just a little bit. He wondered if he looked okay; he was wearing black ripped jeans, a tight blue shirt and a black leather jacket. It wasn't something that he would usually wear, but Sana had convinced him that he would look great in them. As it turned out, Sana was right, as usual. When he was done with the clothes, he went into the bathroom and quickly combed his messy hair, puffing his cheeks when he was finally done. After that, he went into the living room, where Magne and Sana were, currently playing with Magne's cars.

When he stepped inside the living room, the other two quickly looked into his direction and Sana let out a playful whistle, which was followed by a sly smirk on her lips and Isak rolled his eyes. Magne, on the other hand, was just looking at his dad, who for some reason looked more handsome than usual. He was wearing expensive looking clothes, which was enough to let the boy know that his dad was going somewhere.

"You look handsome, daddy," exclaimed the boy and Isak chuckled and walked closer to his best friend and son. Isak glared at Sana, who came over to babysit Magne as he was going out Even, and then sighed. Isak sat down on the floor, next to Magne, who quickly climbed into his lap and a smile tugged at Isak's lips as Magne handed him one of his cars. "Want to play with me and aunt Sana?" asked Magne. "We are playing race. I have already won three times," stated the boy proudly.

"Yes, I am no match for you, squirt," said Sana and sighed, looking over at Isak, who slowly nodded in agreement. He still had some time until the date, so he decided to play with the other two. Plus, maybe a game with Magne would maybe put an end to his nervousness.

"This sounds like a challenge," said Isak and took the car into his hand and Magne quickly climbed off of Isak and started preparing for the race.

Then, the race around the living room began, but didn't last very long because Isak soon lost the game, on purpose of course, and as Magne was busy celebrating his victory, Isak sat down to Sana, who scooted closer to him and smiled. Isak frowned when he saw the expression on Sana's face and sighed, knowing that she would probably start asking him questions. And he was right.

"So, where is he taking you?" asked Sana.

"I don't know yet," said Isak and shrugged. "All I know is that we are meeting at the club from before."

"He isn't going to pick you up here?" asked Sana and pouted. She had heard so many things about this Even, both from Isak and Magne, but she still hadn't had the chance to meet the man. It wasn't fair to be honest.

"You are going to meet him eventually," said Isak and chuckled when he saw that Sana was sulking. "Besides, if he came here, you'd start interrogating him and we wouldn't go anywhere," said Isak, only teasing of course.

"Oh, shush," said Sana, but the smile remained on her lips. Even though she wasn't going to meet Even that day, she was happy for both Magne and Isak. She really was. Since happiness was difficult for Magne and Isak to find, she was beyond happy that this amazing man walked into their lives.

Isak then looked at the clock and realised that it was the time for him to leave if he wanted to come on time. Because of that, he slowly got onto his legs and straightened his clothes, taking in a deep breath. Sana's smile widened when Isak stood up and so did she, patting her best friend n the back when she saw that the other one seemed nervous. On the other hand, she couldn't really blame him. There were not many people that Isak allowed to step into his life, so seeing that he had agreed to go on a date with Even so quickly, just showed how precious the man was to Isak. 

"Calm down, Isabel," said Sana and chuckled. "Like always, you worry too much. I am sure that you two are going to have a great time, no matter what," she than added and Isak slowly nodded, knowing that Sana was right. He knew that he should loosen up, just like Even said that night in the club, so that was why he agreed to the date without thinking about it too much.

"Where are you going, daddy?" asked Magne when he saw that his father appeared to be going somewhere and he nervously walked closer, not liking it when Isak left without telling him where he was going. “Are you going to be back soon?” was another question and Isak slowly nodded.

"Yes, I am going to come home soon. Until then, aunt Sana is going to be with you, okay?" asked Isak and Magne nodded, not really minding spending time with Sana. But the frown remained, because Isak didn't respond to his first question and Isak immediately noticed what was bothering the little boy. He didn't know what to do really. If he told Magne that he was meeting Even, then the other would probably want to know why. And Isak wasn't sure if he was ready to tell his son that he liked his teacher in that kind of way. Isak had told Magne long time ago that he happened to like guys and Magne didn't really mind that. But since he didn't know if his relationship with Even was going to be serious or not, he was torn. However, in the end, he decided to tell the truth, because he didn't like lying to Magne. “I am going to be hanging out with Mr. Bech Næsheim.”

"Mr. Bech Næsheim?" asked Magne and his eyes literally lit up when the man's name was mentioned. “Can I come too, daddy? Please, I wanna go and see Mr. Bech Næsheim as well,” he then added and Sana laughed quietly.

"You two are totally smitten by him, it's unbelievable," said Sana and Isak pressed his lips together.

He then looked at Magne, who was still waiting for an answer from his dad and he sighed. Magne looked so excited and just the thought of telling Magne that he couldn't go with them made Isak feel uneasy. “Not this time, Magne,” said Isak slowly and Magne's eyes widened. “Oh, don't look like this,” he then said and sighed. “I'd love to take you with us, just not this time. We are, uh,” started Isak and then looked at Sana for help, not really knowing how to continue from there. “We have some things to discuss and-”

"Adult, boring stuff?" asked Magne and rolled his eyes when Isak quickly nodded. Now that he heard that, he wasn't so sure if he wanted to go with them anymore. Staying at home with aunt Sana and playing race with her seemed more interesting to the boy. “Adults are so boring,” muttered Magne. “You can go, daddy. I'll stay here with aunt Sana, she is more fun.”

Isak chuckled and shook his head, but didn't make a comment about that. He placed a hand on top of his son's head and gently ruffled his hair. “Good boy,” he then said and Magne quickly nodded, pleased with the praise. “Now then, I should really get going,” said Isak and rubbed his palms together.

"Okay," said Magne. “Bye, bye, daddy,” was the last thing that Magne said to his father, before walking back to his toys.

"Yeah, good luck," said Sana and walked Isak to the door. “Don't stay out too late,” she then said and laughed when Isak groaned.

"Yes, mom, I'll be home at a reasonable hour," said Isak with a smile and then finally left his apartment.

~

  
  


Even glanced at his watch again and nervously shifted from one leg to the other one. He was waiting for Isak in front of that club for quite some time and the other one still didn't show up. It was true that Even came a lot earlier, but he kind of hoped that Isak was going to come early as well. However, now it was even past the time that they decided to meet at and Even was growing impatient. He took the phone into his hands, just to see if the other man called or texted him, but he placed the phone back into his pocket when he saw that Isak didn't contact him. Now, what? Was he stood up by Isak? That was something that he didn't want to believe.

Isak was a lot like Magne, he needed some time to open up to people and let them inside. Even really thought that he was able to bring those walls that Isak had built around himself down, just a little bit, but now he wasn't so sure anymore. Even sighed and leaned against the wall of the club and started looking around, narrowing his eyes when he noticed someone running into his direction. He soon recognised the person, it was Isak. That made all of the previous worries disappear and he quickly straightened himself up when Isak was pretty close to him. A smile spread across his lips as he laid his eyes upon Isak and he walked to his direction.

Isak was late, he knew that he was. That was the reason why he was running and he was hoping that Even wasn't going to be too annoyed once he got there. When he saw the man in the distance, he started running faster and when he finally reached him, he stopped and allowed himself to catch his breath for a few moments, before he looked up.

"Hei, Even," said Isak as he was still catching his breath and then he ran fingers through his hair, ruining what was left of his 'hair style'. “I am so sorry for being late,” he then added and walked closer to the man, who wasn't saying anything. Even was just standing there and... staring.

Now that they were finally alone, Even allowed himself to take all the time that he needed to look at Isak. The fact that he was dressed into different clothes from usual definitely didn't go unnoticed from his eyes and he had to admit that Isak looked amazing. It took Even quite a few moments to stop staring and when he was finally brought to reality, he could see that Isak's face was already red.

"Sorry for staring," said Even and then cleared his throat. “I just couldn't help myself really,” he then added.

"Are you always so straightforward?" asked Isak awkwardly and his whole body heated up when Even said that.

"Do you dislike straightforward people?" asked Even, amused.

"Nei," was Isak's quick reply and the corners of Even's lips curled up, forming a tiny, but satisfied smirk. “Not at all.”

"Good," said Even and then walked past Isak, the other one right behind him. “Now then, should we go inside?” he asked and pointed to the club, Isak scrunching his nose almost immediately. He definitely didn't want to spend their first date in there. He wanted to go somewhere where it was quieter, so that he could finally have a proper talk with Even. “Or we can go somewhere else,” added the older one quickly when he saw Isak's unamused face and he then remembered Isak saying that he wasn't too fond of that club.

"Yeah, let's go somewhere else," said Isak and nodded in agreement. “We could go to the bar where I usually go when I want some peace. It is just around the corner, so if you'd like, we can-” stammered Isak nervously and Even quickly nodded.

"I'd like that," said Even.

After that, the two of them made their way to the bar that Isak was talking about. They walked in silence and then quickly sat down, ordered their drinks, again in complete silence. Even opened his mouth to start the conversation, but then stopped himself when he saw that Isak seemed to be thinking about something. A frown formed between Even's eyebrows and it honestly looked like Isak didn't want to be there. However, he was quickly reminded what Isak said to him before, he said that it had been years still he had gone out. So, maybe it had been years as well when it came to dating other people.

"You're awfully quiet today," said Even slowly and Isak looked up. Before, he was busy with thinking about what he should say or do, but couldn't come up with anything. “Again, you're thinking too hard, loosen up,” went on by saying the older one.

"I... just don't know what to say," stammered Isak and sighed. “I'm not good with this... people, dating, relationships,” admitted Isak and looked up at Even, who was patiently listening to him. "I've messed things up before and I really don't want to mess something up this time."

"I understand," said Even softly and thanked the waitress when she brought their drinks. He then slowly sipped on his drink and made a short pause, knowing that Isak's eyes were on him, even though he wasn't looking at him at the moment. "But don't we all make mistakes? It's what makes us human," Even and smiled. "You want to be perfect, but no one is. With this you are only making things harder for yourself."

"I..." started Isak and sighed. “That's true, you're right."

"Of course I am," said Even proudly. "I am amazing, after all."

"Well, aren't you a humble one," teased Isak and received a gentle nudge of Even's leg against his own under the table.

"Your words, not mine," said Even and bit into his lower lip when he saw Isak choke on his drink. He leaned back against his chair and tried not to smile too widely when Isak struggled to say something and his heart melted when the younger male gave up with an annoyed groan and he looked down. "Adorable," said Even under his breath, but loud enough for Isak to hear it as well.

That comment made Isak’s face heat up even more and he quickly emptied his glass and took in a deep breath, trying to continue the conversation without being too awkward. "Hey, Even?" he then asked as an important question popped into his mind. He needed to know how serious Even was about this; it was true that the man was flirting back, but Isak needed to know. If it was just him, then it wouldn’t matter that much. But he had Magne with him this time, so he knew that he needed to be careful before jumping into another relationship, if it wasn’t going to work out, it wouldn’t just affect him.

"Hmm?"

"I need to ask something," said Isak and made a short pause. "How serious do you want this to be? Y-you know… our relationship," stammered the young man and then stopped. He didn’t even knew how to call it, they weren’t even in a relationship, yet. Ah, it was really confusing

"Well, I didn’t invite you out just for a fling, Isak,” said Even and Isak looked at him, wondering if he had made the man angry. The man sounded offended, because he kind of was. He didn’t know what was going on inside of Isak’s head, but if the other one really thought that he wasn’t being serious, then he was seriously going to smack Isak for being so dense.

“I didn’t mean it like that,” said Isak and pressed his lips together, realising it only then how it sounded. “I just need to know, before I get too serious about it. If I allow myself to fall for you even more, I need to know,” whispered Isak and then looked up at Even, who let out a hitched breath and he then smiled. He was reminded how fragile Isak really was, he had completely opened up to him and Even respected him for that.

"I definitely want to see more of you, and get to know you better. I really do like you quite a lot, Isak. Not to mention Magne as well, you two are both very precious to me, so I want this to work out. We don't have to rush into anything, we have all the time we need. If you feel we're moving too fast, we can slow down, we don't have to put any labels on our relationship yet. I am a patient man, Isak, so don't fill your pretty little head with useless worries. Useless worries will just bring you useless pain," said Even after a while.

“Thank you for being so understanding,” said Isak and a weak smile spread across his face.

After that, they spend a few more minutes talking about random things, getting to know each other a little bit better. However, as some more time passed, Even decided that it was time to leave the bar and Isak went on by agreeing with him. Since they didn’t know where to go next, they decided to just wander around the town; not that it mattered really to either of them. Just being with each other, alone, was more than satisfying.

“So, how are you enjoying the date so far?” asked Even after a while and Isak looked to his right, where Even was walking.

“One of the best dates that I’ve ever been to, to be honest,” said Isak and chuckled. “I managed not to screw something up,” he then went on by saying. “I’m really glad that I gathered enough courage to finally send you that text. You don’t know how long it took me.”

“Don’t tell me… for those four days you were constantly thinking about the date and me?” asked Even and his heart warmed up when Isak nodded. It made him incredibly happy to hear that. “You’re precious, do you know that?” Isak didn’t make a comment about that, but he was secretly screaming inside when Even said that.

As they continued to walk around the city, Even looked down and gently brushed the back of his hand against Isak’s. At first, the younger one didn’t think of it too much, but as Even did that again, Isak looked down as well and his heart was hammering hard against his ribcage as Even wrapped his index finger around his own one. They weren’t even properly holding hands, but it was enough to make Isak’s heart beat with the speed of light and Even's one wasn’t that far behind. That send shivers up Isak’s spine, but he didn’t remove his hand away and allowed Even to swing their hands between them as they continued to walk and chat.

As some more time passed, Isak finally decided that it was time for him to be getting home, even though he didn’t want their time together to end. He allowed Even to walk him back home when the other one asked him if it was okay and as they reached Isak’s apartment, Even finally let go off of Isak’s hand, looking into the younger’s eyes.

“I had a really good time tonight, Isak,” said Even softly and stepped closer. He then stepped closer and again removed some of the hair that was annoyingly falling over Isak’s beautiful eyes. “I hope we can soon do this again,” he then added.

“Yeah, I also had a great time,” stammered Isak and his eyes grew huge when Even came really close with his face to his. Expecting a kiss, Isak closed his eyes slowly. Even, on the other hand, chuckled when he saw that reaction and in the end kissed Isak’s cheek, though he knew that the other one was expecting a different type of kiss. But in the end, it didn’t really matter.

“Good night, Isak,” whispered Even, before he finally left.

“Night.”

Isak spend a few extra minutes outside and when he was going up to his apartment, he felt as if he was floating. When he stepped into his apartment, he narrowed his eyes when he saw Sana standing next to the window with a huge grin on her face. “So, I assume things went well?” she asked, wanting to hear all details.

“You were watching us just now?” asked Isak in disbelief.

“Of course,” she said and rolled her eyes. “Now tell me. Everything.”

“Fine,” was what Isak said in the end, knowing that Sana probably wouldn’t stop bugging him if he refused to tell her what she wanted to hear.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay!! I have been so busy with university and I'm so late in all my courses and it gives me a lot of anxiety, because if I fail I won't probably be accepted in th emaster degree I want. And now we are back in quarantine so of course It's more a mess since universities are shitty with all of that. I'll try to post once or two a month as the minimum, but maybe more if I can get ride of all the late I have in my psychology courses!!


	4. Weird

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As a 'pls forgive me for the long long wait' gift, here's another chapter :).

Magne was sitting at his usual table and was happily giggling as he was drawing something. Even was keeping an eye on him, but since the boy told him that whatever he was drawing was supposed to be a surprise for him, he decided not to go closer to the boy. Instead, he was helping out some other children, but the smile on his face was bright at the thought of Magne drawing something especially for him. Magne was turned away from Even, so that he could kept his drawing hidden better from the man’s eyes and he giggled again, quite liking his plan.

The thing that he was drawing was a frog and he giggled again when he thought of the face that Mr. Bech Næsheim was going to make. He had told him that he didn’t like the frogs and Magne’s plan was to tease his teacher just a little bit. His cheeky side was starting to come out more and more around Even and the man noticed that as well. A once quiet and shy boy was becoming more and braver and more talkative, which was a nice change really. However, Magne’s good mood didn’t last long, because he was soon interrupted by one of the boys that he wasn’t too fond of. The boy’s name was Richie and just thinking about him made Magne feel uncomfortable. So, when the blonde boy sat down next to him, Magne’s body tensed up and he quickly turned his drawing away, not wanting to show the other one what he was drawing. He knew that Richie would make fun of him, like he did with his classmates.

“What are you drawing?” asked Richie and pointed to the drawing that Magne was holding close to himself. When he was asked about the drawing, Magne quickly turned around and took in a deep breath and tried his best to ignore the boy, but that wasn’t possible, because more questions started coming. “Can you show me?” was the next question and Magne quickly shook his head. “Why not?”

“The drawing’s for someone important,” was Magne’s only reply and he then closed his eyes, trying to block out the other’s presence. He glanced at Mr. Bech Næsheim, who was still helping out his classmates and even though he wanted to call out for the man’s help, he stayed silent when he saw that the other one was already busy. “C-can you please go away?” asked Magne and tried to sound as polite as he could at a situation like that. Richie never bothered him prior to that, but he had seen him picking on his other classmates and he didn’t want something like that to happen to him.

“No,” said the other boy stubbornly. “You’re weird.”

“Am not,” whispered Magne and felt that annoying feeling coming back into his tummy. It had been quite a while since he had last experienced it and he really thought that he was cured. However, now that it returned, he just wanted to cry. He looked at Richie, but then quickly looked away, because he didn’t like that the blonde boy was looking right back at him. “I am not weird,” he whispered and his heart fell to the pit of stomach.

“You are,” stated Richie. “And your family is also weird,” added the boy.

That comment struck right into Magne’s little heart and he closed his eyes tightly. A few days ago, Even asked the class to draw their families and surprisingly Magne drew his as well. Since he only drew himself and Isak, a lot of kids didn’t understand it, because something was missing… a mother. Even tried to explain, but the look on Magne’s face was enough to let him know not to push it, so he didn’t. At that time, Magne was proud of his drawing and he didn’t know why others found it weird.

“M-my family isn’t weird,” whispered Magne and glared at the other boy. “My daddy’s the best dad in the world,” he then added angrily and pressed his lips together.

“Where’s your mommy?” asked Richie firmly and crossed his arms on top of his chest and frowned. He really didn’t get it how could Magne call that a family. In a family, a person had two parents; a mom and a dad. “So, that isn’t a real family. It’s weird.”

When his mother was mentioned, Magne froze and completely shut down as fragments of memories about his biological mother and father started flashing in front of his eyes. He didn’t remember much of his time before Isak; how could he, he was too young. However, he could remember hearing yelling and being scared all the time. To Magne, those two people weren’t his real family. His family was Isak, his aunt Sana, uncle Jonas and other members of Isak’s family.

Even soon noticed that something was off when he couldn’t hear Magne’s happy laughter and as he turned around, he was right about his hunch. As Magne was sitting on his chair and squeezing the drawing close to his chest, the other boy was saying something that was obviously making little Magne upset. He stepped closer to the boys and knelt next to them, to see what seemed to be the matter and it didn’t take him too long to find out what was going on between the two of them.

“Boys, what’s the matter?” asked Even softly.

“He said that I’m weird,” said Magne almost immediately and moved closer to Even. “He said that me and daddy aren’t a real family,” he then added and looked at the man for help.

When Even heard Magne's words, he made a pause before speaking because he knew that he needed to be careful what to say next in front of the children. Especially, because he didn't know the whole story about Magne, before Isak adopted him, so he was kind of torn. He knew that he needed to explain to the other boy that there were different kinds of families; not only mother and father was what made a family 'real'. Then again, he understood the blonde's confusion, he was so young, so of course he wouldn't understand. Even looked at Magne, who was carefully looking at him and in the end explained to the other boy that there were different types of families in the world. He explained it to him in a simple way, so that the boy understood and in the end, he ended up apologising to Magne for calling his family weird. Even was quite pleased with how things ended, but then worries returned when he saw that Magne was just silently sitting on his chair and seemed to be troubled with something.

“Magne?” asked Even softly and sat onto the floor. “Did I say something weird before?” he then asked and then frowned when Magne silently shook his head, making the man even more confused that he already was. “Then, why are you looking so down? Is something bothering you? You know, you can tell me everything, right?” was Even's next question and Magne finally looked at him, his big eyes filled with tears.

Magne didn't respond to the questions, but his lower lip trembled which was enough to let Mr. Bech Næsheim that something was really wrong. Magne didn't want to be there at the moment, he would much rather be at home and talk to his dad about what was bothering him. Mr. Bech Næsheim always knew what to do or say, but this time he wasn't so sure if that was the case. As Even was explaining to the blond boy what being a family truly meant, he didn't mention anything about families where children were adopted. Magne was very well aware of the fact that Isak wasn't his biological father, but he cared for him better than his biological mother and father did. He didn't want to consider those horrible people as a family, he didn't like them. After going to live with Isak, they tried to interfere with their lives, but Isak ended up reporting them to the authorities and after that, they were finally gone from their lives for good. Isak made sure that that was something that Magne agreed on as well and after seeing his dad being threatened by those horrible people, he quickly agreed to that.

“I wanna go home,” whispered Magne, his voice barely audible and then swallowed back his tears, moving himself further away from Even when the other one tried to pat him on the head and the man's heart sunk to the pit of his stomach. He was used to children not wanting to talk to him about their problems, but it still hurt when a child would refuse his help. Also, even though he didn’t want to admit it, Magne was a bit more important to him than most children, so it hurt that much more. “C-can you please call daddy?” was Magne’s next question and Even bit into his lower lip, knowing that Isak was in the middle of an important meeting, which wasn’t going to end any time soon.

“I spoke to your father this morning and he said that he has an important meeting today,” said Even, pressing his lips together. “He’s gonna come a bit later than usual today as well. But, he told me that you knew and that it wasn’t going to be a problem?” asked Even, kind of worried by that point that Isak might’ve forgotten to tell Magne that and both of them knew how the boy got when he didn’t know that Isak would come to pick him up a bit later.

Magne narrowed his eyes and then his lower lip started trembling again when he remembered that his dad did mention something like that in the morning, but Magne paid no attention to it, since he didn’t mind spending time with Mr. Bech Næsheim. However, he then had a complete change of heart and all that he wanted to do was to go home. Magne firmed loose fists with his hands and looked down, slowly nodding. “Y-yes, he said that,” whispered Magne and Even nodded as well.

Even sighed and then placed a hand on top of the boy’s head. Magne didn’t mind in that time, but he still wouldn’t look at his teacher. He didn’t even know it why, but he was angry with Mr. Bech Næsheim and even though the man wanted to talk about it, he didn’t want to. “Magne, you can tell me what’s bothering you. I’ll try to help you and-”

“I don’t wanna,” muttered Magne and Even's heart grew heavy.

“Okay, you don’t have to if you don’t want to,” said the man, but the way that he said it made it clear to the little boy that Mr. Bech Næsheim was lying. Wanting to make Magne feel better, Even decided to talk about something else and he forced a smile when he saw the drawing in Magne’s lap, knowing that it was supposed to be a secret for him. “Have you finished the drawing?” asked the man and reached for the paper, but Magne removed it from Even's reach.

“Not yet,” muttered Magne and it was clear to the teacher that the boy was lying.

“Well, that’s okay,” said Even and placed his hands together, knowing that he was walking on thin ice. He knew that the boy was upset with him for some reason, but he didn’t know why. It was probably something that he said earlier, that had to be it. But no matter how hard he thought about it, he couldn’t figure it out. “You can still show-”

“No.”

“Okay,” said Even and took in a deep breath. “Do you want me to go away?” asked the man carefully next and his eyes widened when Magne nodded.

“Yes,” said Magne, refusing to look at Even.

“I understand,” said Even and forced a smile, which faltered just a little bit that time and slowly got onto his legs. “W-well then, if you change your mind, tell me, okay?” he asked and watched how Magne nodded, again without looking at him. “Good boy,” he whispered and then slowly walked away, his heart shrinking when he saw Magne shutting down in front of his eyes. Usually he was able to help him, but not this time. This time Magne didn’t let him inside and that broke Even's heart.

~

By the time Isak arrived to the preschool, the kids were already outside again. Knowing where they were going to be, Isak headed straight for the playground, his eyes searching around it to see where Magne was. Much to his surprise, the boy was sitting alone in the sandbox, ignoring the kids around him and he frowned when he saw that Even looked distant as well. Since the man was standing close to the fence, he soon saw Isak and he slowly walked closer to the man. Usually he would be happy to see Isak, but not even that was able to bring out a smile on his face. Isak pressed his lips together when he saw that Even wore a troubled expression on his face and he quickly realised that whatever happened must’ve been related to Magne’s bad mood as well.

“Hey, Isak,” said Even and stepped closer to the younger one. He forced a smile on his face, but it wasn’t genuine. “Magne’s in the sandbox. I’ll go tell him that you’re here and you two can finally go-”

“What the hell happened, Even?” asked Isak and grabbed Even's wrist to stop him from leaving. “This isn’t like you.”

“Magne is upset with me,” muttered Even and looked up at Isak. “Earlier one of the kids was asking Magne about his family… Well, he called it weird, because he doesn’t have a mother,” said Even and Isak stiffened up just a little bit, knowing that something like that was to be expected sooner or later. The kids were still young, so of course it would confuse them; having one parent was a bit unusual to most kids Magne’s age. However, Isak was confident that Even was able to explain things properly. “I managed to explain it and the other boy ended up apologising to Magne. But as I was explaining, I must’ve said something wrong or weird, because ever since then, Magne has been avoiding me. And if I really did say something wrong, I apologise, Isak. I was in no place to-”

“Even, calm down,” whispered Isak and even though they were close to children, he gently wrapped his index fingers around Even's one, just like the man did on their date. Even stopped talking and he looked down. “I’m sure that it’s nothing. Look, why don’t I get him and then we go inside, to have a proper talk? What do you say?”

Even slowly nodded and waited by the fence, waiting for Isak to return with Magne. As the two of them went inside, Even hurried to other teachers, telling them that he needed to talk with the Valtersens. Others agreed to watch over his class as well and he then hurried back, where Magne was already putting his things into his bag. Isak was sitting down next to his son and only then saw that whatever was bothering Magne must’ve been serious.

“Magne, can you please stop for a moment and come closer to me and Mr. Bech Næsheim?” asked Isak softly and Magne stiffened up, but in the end nodded and walked closer to his dad, looking away from Even and the man felt a stab at his heart again. “Now then,” started Isak and Magne looked up. “Can you tell me why you’re in such a bad mood?”

“Am not,” stated Magne, but wasn’t fooling anyone.

“Magne,” said the younger man. “Your teacher told me that one of the kids in class said that you have a weird family?” asked Isak and Magne slowly nodded, reaching for his plush and squeezed it close to himself. “Are you in a bad mood because of that?”

“No.”

“Then what’s the problem? I am sure that Mr. Bech Næsheim explained to the boy properly. You know, not all people are from-”

“Mr. Bech Næsheim said that we aren’t a family,” suddenly blurted out Magne and Even's eyes widened, his heart falling to the pit of his stomach and he quickly shook his head. Why in the world would the boy think that? He was so, so careful before to explain it properly, so he didn’t get it, he really didn’t. The man then glanced to Isak, who was just as shocked and quickly took a step back when Isak’s face darkened with anger.

When Magne said that, Isak became angry. No, furious was the right word. Also, he was shocked to hear that Even would say something like that. Maybe Magne just misunderstood it? He tried to think rationally, but in the end the anger got the best of him and he snapped. He was always like that, hot headed and overprotective when it came to Magne. “Even?!” snapped Isak.

“I didn’t-” whispered Even, but was interrupted by Isak.

“Are you calling my son a liar?”

“Of course not,” stammered Even and then glanced at Magne, who was now looking at him, but didn’t look angry anymore. Instead, he looked sad and it seemed that he regretted saying that now that he saw how Isak reacted. “I never said that, I would never…” said the older man and took in a deep breath. “I’m sure that it’s just a big misunderstanding and-” he started again, but then stopped talking.

“Magne,” said Isak as softly as he could as he was still raging with anger. “Can you please tell me exactly what Mr. Bech Næsheim said?”

“He said that there are many different families,” started Magne and then stopped a while to take a second, remembering Even's words from before. It was true that Mr. Bech Næsheim never said it with those exact words that he and Isak weren’t a family, but he made it sound like that. “B-but I’m adopted and Mr. Bech Næsheim didn’t say that…” After that Magne stopped and realised that he understood it wrong. It was his fault that Mr. Bech Næsheim was sad and that his dad got angry at his teacher.

“What?” asked Isak.

“It appears that I’ve failed to mention, as I was explaining about families, that some kids are adopted and are a part of the family as well,” muttered Even and sighed. “Magne,” said Even and the boy’s eyes found him immediately. “The fact that you’re adopted doesn’t make you and your dad any less of a family,” whispered Even and pressed his lips together. “I’m sorry if I made you feel that way. I apologise.”

Isak’s anger disappeared into thin air when he heard that Magne misunderstood Even's words from before and now he felt stupid for snapping at Even. He looked at the man, who wore a sad expression on his face and he felt a stab of guilt at his heart. He hated himself for doing that; it was always like that with him and even though it was true that he managed to lower the walls around his heart, he still had a long way to go. “Even, I apologise. I didn’t mean to-”

“It’s okay, Isak, really,” said Even and forced a weak smile on his face. “Look, I should get going anyway so-”

“It isn’t okay,” said Isak. “Your feelings were hurt, so it’s not okay. At all.”

Magne flinched when Isak said that and his eyes welled up immediately, blaming himself. He knew that it was his fault, it had to be. Isak shouted at Even all because of him. With tears in his eyes, he quickly opened up his bag and took out the drawing that he drew before for Even and ran up to the man, who quickly knelt down. Even noticed the tears in Even's eyes and he sighed, his eyes widening when Magne gave him the drawing from before.

“H-here, it’s finished,” whispered Magne and wiped the tears away, wanting to be a big boy. “I-I’m sorry. Daddy got mad at you because of me. I’m sorry, Mr. Bech Næsheim.”

Even turned the drawing around and chuckled when he saw that Magne drew a frog, probably as a joke before. When Magne said those next words, Even bit into his lower lip and quickly shook his head. “It’s not your fault, Magne. I should’ve been more careful of what I was saying. I didn’t mean to make you feel like that.”

“A-are you angry with me?” was Magne’s next question.

“Of course not,” said Even and placed a hand on top of Magne’s head. As he said that, Magne burst into tears and Even looked up at Isak, who appeared to be thinking. Magne then walked closer to Mr. Bech Næsheim and buried his face into the man’s shoulder. Not knowing what to do, Even gently placed a hand on top of Magne’s back, but eventually squeezed him closer and gave him a proper hug.

“I’m sorry as well,” whispered Isak and stepped closer to the two of them. He got onto his knees as well and as Magne calmed down, pressed a quick kiss again Even's temple.

“You are forgiven,” said Even, although he wasn’t sure if Isak should be the one apologising. Magne held tightly onto Mr. Bech Næsheim and Even chuckled when he felt how Isak took one hand into his own and linked their fingers behind his back.

After a while, when Magne finally let go of Even, he looked at his watch and noticed that it was already quite late. “I’ll finish with work in a few minutes,” said Even and looked at Magne. “I’ve heard that you wanted to go with me and Isak the last time. So, how about it? Do you want some ice cream? My treat.”

“Yes!” Magne’s eyes lit up and he looked at Isak. “Can we go, daddy?”

“Sure, why not,” was Isak’s reply, who also wanted to spend some more time with Even.

  
  


~

Even and Isak were walking towards the younger one's apartment, while the little boy was soundly asleep in his dad's arms. After the ice cream, they went to the town's zoo as well, since that was something that Magne didn't do up until then because he was too scared. But, when Even gave an idea of going there, the boy's previous fears seemed to disappear into thin air. So, it wasn't really a surprise that Magne ended up being too tired to walk back home. Isak decided to carry him and in the end the small boy fell asleep on their way back home. Even, who was walking next to the younger man, had a huge smile on his face. He was happy, beyond happy. Especially after the day that he had that day. He was more than happy to see that the misunderstanding was able to clear up soon and the three of them ended up having a great time together.

Even bit into his lower lip and his heart filled itself with warmth and happiness. It was a while since he felt that way; he was the happiest when he was around Isak and his son and even though they didn't know each other for that long, he found himself to be secretly hoping that one day he would be a part of Magne's and Isak's adorable family. That thought warmed his entire body up and he chuckled, gaining Isak's attention in a blink of an eye, who sent him a smile as they were still walking.

“What's on your mind?” asked Isak when he saw Even's bright smile, even though he already knew the answer. His thoughts were also with Even and the wonderful day that they had together. Magne was able to completely calm down once they went to the zoo and Isak couldn't be happier when he watched Even's and Magne's interactions. There was nothing but love in the older one's eyes when he was looking at Magne.

“You,” admitted Even, his words causing Isak's face to heat up and flush into bright pink colour. Even chuckled when he noticed the blush being dusted over the other's cheeks and he took in a deep breath before he continued. “And Magne,” he said. “I had a really great time with the two of you. I hope you did too.”

“Of course I did,” stammered Isak and gently held Magne's head when the boy moved in his arms. “Magne had a blast as well, especially at the zoo. He's never been in one before, because up until now he's been too scared to go. I was actually surprised when he said that he wanted to go there,” he said and glanced at Even. “You helped him out a lot, Even. It's only been a month, but he's really stepped out of his comfort zone thanks to you.”

Even opened his mouth to say that it wasn't only him that was able to make Magne open up, but in the end didn't say anything. He didn't want to ruin the moment, so he stayed quiet and they walked in silence to Isak's apartment. Once reaching the building, Even was about to say his goodbyes, but Isak was faster than him and Even's eyes widened as the other one asked, “Want to come up?” Isak made a short pause and took in a deep breath when he saw the look on Even's face. “It's still pretty early and since Magne is already asleep, I have nothing to do. I live alone, so it gets boring and lonely at times. Also, I want to spend some more time with you... alone,” asked Isak.

“Okay,” said Even and chuckled when he saw Isak's face heating up in embarrassment once again. “I'd love to spend some more time with you as well,” he then quickly added and earned one of the warmest and brightest smiles from Isak, who was happy to hear that the wish was mutual. Even followed Isak up the stairs and took Magne into his arms as Isak unlocked the door and then followed Isak inside of the apartment.

Even looked around it and smiled. The apartment itself wasn't big, but it had a warm and sweet feel to it. Isak guided Even into the boy's bedroom, where Isak later quickly changed his son's clothes and put him to bed. In the meantime, Even was waiting for Isak in his living room and smiled when he saw a picture of Isak, Magne and a girl standing next to them on one of the shelves. Isak mentioned that he had a sister, so that was probably her.

Isak soon joined Even in the living room and smiled when he saw Even looking at the family photos. He walked closer to him and Even quickly placed the picture back to its place, but Isak didn't really mind that Even was snooping around. “That's my bestfriend, Sana,” said Isak and pointed to the picture that Even was looking a few moments earlier. “You'd like her. She is amazing, but terribly nosy at times.”

“I see,” said Even and chuckled. “I'd love to meet her someday,” he then added and continued to look at the photos. One of them caught his attention; Isak looked much younger and there were a man and a woman standing behind him. "Are they your parents ?"

“Yeah, that's them,” stated Isak. “

“I see,” said Even and his smile widened as he continued to observe Isak as a child. “You were an adorable child,” muttered Even and Isak rolled his eyes, but then smiled as well.

“I guess,” said Isak and shrugged his shoulders. Even turned around and hummed, amused. It looked like his compliment made Isak feel uncomfortable. Even was quite fond of compliments, but Isak was completely different. He would always look uneasy and he didn't know what to do with himself really. Being complimented was something that Isak never liked and he didn't know it why. Probably because it put him in the centre of attention and he didn't like it.

“You don't like it when other people compliment you?” asked Even and took a step forward to Isak, who immediately took one back, but that didn't him discourage to take another step closer to Isak again, his smirk growing.

“I don't dislike it,” whispered Isak and made another step back as Even stepped closer again. His throat suddenly felt dry and it hit him only then that he was completely alone with Even for the first time. That made his skin tingle with excitement and nervousness at the same time; it was definitely a weird feeling, but not unpleasant. It made Isak feel something that he didn't experience in a long time. “I'm just not used to it, I guess.”

“You should get used to it quick, Isak,” whispered Even and placed his hand on top of Isak's chest, pushing him back and Isak's eyes widened when he found himself trapped between the wall and Even's body. He placed his hands down to his sides and tried to look away, because Even's face was too close. If he wanted to pay attention to whatever the older man was saying, he had to look away. If not, he would get lost in his beautiful, gorgeous eyes. “From now on, I'll make sure you get complimented on daily basis,” said Even and smiled.

“Umm, okay,” said Isak and forced out an awkward laugh.

Even placed a hand back on top of Isak's chest and let out a hitched breath when he felt how hard Isak's heart was beating and he bit into his lower lip. Isak's heart was hammering hard against his ribcage, and heck, he would be lying if he said that his own wasn't as well. Even's fingers trembled just a little bit when Isak gasped, feeling the younger's hot breath against his lips. Even parted his own ones and dragged his tongue over his lower lip, his hand travelling up to Isak's hair. “Your hair is too long,” said Even and chuckled when he saw the confusion written all over Isak's hair. “I don't like it how it falls over your eyes and hides them,” he whispered and gently brushed some of the hair to the side.

''I-is that so?'' muttered Isak and swallowed thickly, looking down when he felt how Even buried his fingers into his thick, blond and curly hair. He pressed his hands against the wall and closed his eyes tightly, trying to think straight, but that was kind of impossible when he had Even playing with his hair so wonderfully. Even tugged on his hair a bit and Isak gasped, pressing his head against Even's palm, who let out a chuckle, his low voice sending shivers up the other’s spine. Isak pressed his lips together when he felt Even's warm palm against his cheek and without even knowing it, nuzzled against the warmth of the palm.

Isak was adorable. The way that he reacted to Even's touches was beyond amusing to the man and he couldn’t help himself but to compare Isak to a cat; he was exactly like the cat he owned when it came to affection. Knowing that Isak liked the attention, Even tried to push a bit further, so he pressed his body firmer against Isak’s, who let low groan and Even smirked. “You’re just like a kitten, Isak,” whispered Even against the other’s ear, which send blood rushing into the other’s face. “So adorable,” he then said and leaned forward, kissing the tip of Isak’s nose. “Open your eyes. Look at me.”

Isak dug his fingers into his jeans and forced himself to open his eyes, but still resisted making an eye contact with the other. Even then gently placed his fingers under Isak’s chin and forced the other one to look at him properly and Isak’s eyes widened just a little bit when Even pressed his forehead against his own one and slowly slid his hand behind his neck. “Even,” whispered Isak and gritted teeth, knowing what Even was doing. “Stop stalling and kiss me already,” he then blurted out.

A victorious smile spread across Even's lips and he pulled back, nodding slowly. He didn’t need to be told twice as he gently held Isak’s face with his palms and placed his lips on top of Isak’s ones. Isak smiled when their lips met for the first time and he returned the kiss almost immediately; that was something that he was dying to do ever since he laid his eyes upon Even. The first few kisses were slow and careful. Even's body tingled when their lips met for the first time and he sighed. The softness of Isak’s lips made the older one feel relaxed and he almost smiled. It was like Isak’s kisses were soothing him and kissing all the worries of the world away. Even's heart jumped and he liked the feeling of that. No one has made him feel like that with just a single kiss.

The way that Even was kissing and holding him almost brought tears to Isak’s eyes. He was so, so gentle and so careful with him. Even gasped when the younger man took his lower lip between his own and gently sucked onto it. It made his heart beat faster and his knees buckled when Isak’s strong arms were wrapped around his waist and he gasped as the other one applied a bit more pressure to the kiss. Even buried his fingers deep into Isak’s hair, causing the younger to moan in approval and the older smiled into their kiss as Isak held tightly onto him.

“Isak,” whispered Even as they parted for only a split second and then Isak already claimed his lips again. The way that Even moaned out his name made Isak snap inside and he spun them around, so that Even was the one who ended up being pinned against the wall. The older’s eyes widened at the change of Isak’s behaviour, but it was more than welcomed at Even's part. It’s been years since Isak was kissed like that, so now that he had an object of his complete affection moaning out his name like that, he couldn’t help himself really.

Isak was kissing Even's lips, then his forehead, eyelids… every part of his face and all that Even could do was to chuckle softly as Isak kissed his way down, kissing along his jawline and Even tilted his head to the right when he felt Isak kissing against his neck. Isak licked and sucked against the exposed flesh, but not too rough; not enough to leave a mark there, but rough enough to make Even moan out again.

“God, Isak,” whispered Even and bit into his lower lip as Isak pulled away just a bit. Even's face was then flushed as well, his eyes dark and glazed with lust and the realisation that it was him that made Even look like that struck Isak right to the core. Without thinking twice, Isak attacked Even's lips again and the older did nothing to stop him, he wanted to feel more of Isak anyway.

Even let out a surprised gasp when he felt Isak licking along his lower lip, quickly parting his lips and Isak slowly darted his tongue out, slipping it into Even's hot and wet mouth. Both of them were softly moaning as their tongues battled for dominance, but it was a battle that Even was more than glad to lose for a change and he melted right against Isak’s frame as the other one continued to devour his mouth right at that spot. They shared a few more kisses and with a final kiss on Even's temple, Isak broke their kiss and pulled away.

Both of them were gasping for air and after a few more minutes, Even's soft laughter filled the room around them. Isak looked at him and frowned. “What?” stammered Isak, his voice low, his entire body still shuddering from the kiss. “W-was it that bad?”

“Bad?” asked Even and shook his head, his entire body shaking from laughing. “It was amazing,” he then said and Isak straightened himself up, proud of himself. “You know, I expected you to be more reserved. You act so shy all the time, but it makes me wonder if that isn’t just an act,” said Even playfully and Isak quickly blushed again.

“Ah, yes,” said Isak slowly. “I’m sorry, I-”

“Oh, don’t apologise,” said Even and a smile tugged at lips. “You don’t see me complaining, do you?” he then asked the older one and Isak slowly nodded.

“I guess not,” said Isak and cleared his throat. “N-now then,” he started. “Should I bring you something to drink? I don’t have any alcoholic drinks, but I have plenty of hot chocolate thanks to Magne, so if you’d like-” started Isak, but was stopped when Even placed his finger on top of his lips.

“Isak,” whispered Even and pulled Isak’s face closer. “Stop running that pretty mouth of yours and put it to a better use,” he said and Isak stopped talking, swallowing thickly. “Kiss me,” said Even then and Isak did exactly what Even wanted.


	5. The ex

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the very long delay! I'm very busy with university!

Even and Isak were currently in a restaurant, on one of their many dates so far, while Magne was spending time with his uncle Jonas and aunt, Eva. The duo was happily chatting as they were eating their dinner and were lost in their own little world, not really paying attention to other people around them. Even was currently talking about how the whole preschool was going on a three day trip, Isak carefully listening to the man. Since the kids were still pretty young, the number of teachers wasn't going to be enough to supervise all of the children, so they needed to ask a couple of parents to come along with them, to help them out. Even considered asking Isak at first, but he then remembered that the younger one was busy with his job, so he didn't want to burden him any further. Isak, on the other hand, completely forgot about his job and frowned, because Even didn't invite him to come along. To him, spending a few days together with Even, Magne and the others sounded quite fun.

“You know, if you need help... I can come along,” said Isak and leaned closer to the older male and smiled. “I'd love to spend the time with you and the others. I think it'd be fun if we all went together. Don't you think so?”

“Yeah, it would be fun if you came along,” said Even and nodded in agreement. “To be honest, you were the first choice that came to my mind, but then I remembered that you have to work,” he said. “Are you really sure that you'd be able to make it? I wouldn't want to cause any problems or interfere with your work.”

“It's gonna be fine,” said Isak and chuckled, shrugging. “I want to go. I'll make sure that I'll be done with everything by the time that the trip comes by. Besides, I'm not so sure that Magne would want to go without me. He's fond of you, but he's still pretty nervous if he sleeps in an unknown place,” went on by saying Isak and Even.

“You make a good point,” said the older male and took a sip of his drink as he gazed at Isak. “It's a deal then, we'll go together,” he then said and gently placed a hand on top of Isak's. It was an awfully sappy scene, but neither of them cared and Isak chuckled when Even linked their fingers together, giving his hand a gentle squeeze as Isak's thumb gently caressed against the man's palm. ”Magne's probably going to be so happy when he hears that you're coming along as well,” said Even and Isak chuckled. As they continued to chat about random things, Even noticed that a person, which was well too known to him, stepped inside of the restaurant and he silently cursed, hoping that the person wouldn't see him. It was his ex-girlfriend, Sonja, and even though they still talked every now and then, Even would rather not see her when he was with Isak. Their break up was bad, the whole relationship was built on so many lies on Sonja's end. It took Even quite some time to get over her; he loved her after all, with all his heart. Sonja was always a mystery to Even; he could never figure her out and that was something that lured him in when he met her. Their relationship lasted for two years and after the break-up, Even wanted to erase his every memory that he had spend with that woman. However, she apologised in the end for lying and even though he wanted to hate her, he couldn't. He knew that her apology was sincere, or at least he hoped that it was. He was finally able to forgive her and himself for being so stupid to buy all of the lies that she'd told him. And even though they still talked every now and then, Even rather ignored her if he had the chance to do so.

When Even's smile disappeared for him face, Isak frowned and looked towards the door, to where Even was looking at. The older male appeared to be looking at a woman who had just walked in. She looked absolutely beautiful and for a moment, Isak was confused because it looked like Even knew her. And judging by the hatred in his eyes, he didn't want her here. “Even?” whispered Isak and leaned closer to the older one. “Who's that?”

“Huh?” asked Even when he was brought back to reality and he didn't even know it himself that he was staring at Sonja. He was too caught up in the memories that he had completely forgotten when he was. But he was soon remembered and he stiffened when his eyes focused on Sonja once again.

“The woman you keep staring at,” said Isak.

“That's Sonja,” said Even and scrunched his nose, still hoping that she wouldn't see him. But knowing his luck, she quickly found him and Even groaned when she waved to him and he quickly turned around when the woman started walking closer to the two of them. Isak, who still didn't know what the hell was going on, sent Sonja a weak smile and then looked at Even, who looked nervous. And Even was nervous, he was always nervous when Sonja was around. She wasn't a bad person, she just didn't know any better. Even didn't know it why, but he was even more nervous than usual now that Isak was with him. “My ex,” he then quickly added and Isak's eyes widened.

“Your ex?” asked Isak in disbelief and blinked a few times. “But I thought you were-”

“Even!” said a voice and Isak stopped talking. Even on the other hand rolled his eyes and gave Sonja an unamused look. He didn't get it; how did she always find him when he was on a date with someone important? That was something that he never understood and he didn't even want to understand it. “It's been a while, how have you been?” asked Sonja then and sent Isak a polite smile when she noticed that Even was with someone. “Hello there, my name's Sonja and you-”

"Hi, Sonja,” said Even, interrupting the woman. His voice was strained and he narrowed his eyes when she looked at him. “I'm in the middle of something, so if you don't mind,” he hissed.

Sonja pressed her lips together. He still resented her after what she did to him, didn't he? Sonja wasn't stupid, she knew exactly how horrible her lies were and even though she knew that she shouldn't push it too hard, it saddened her when she saw only pain in Even's eyes when the man looked at her. And just to think that he loved her so much back in the day... She knew that she should be happy that Even still agreed to talk with her, but it still hurt knowing that it was her that ruined their relationship. It wasn't always perfect, but they were happy until the lying began. She felt horrible for what she did, she really did, no matter how much other people didn't want to believe that. Sonja's smile faltered just a little bit, but she didn't feel too discouraged.

“That's okay, I won't bother you too long. I'm with someone anyway, so don't worry. I won't ruin any more things for you,” she said bitterly and Even looked away, feeling his heart tightening.

Isak placed his hands together in his lap and gave Sonja an awkward smile as the atmosphere completely changed.

“I just wanted to say hi.”

“Is that so?” asked Even, who was speaking to himself more than to her and Isak looked up at her, who looked as equally hurt as Even. Isak didn't know what happened, but it must've been bad. As neither of them said anything anymore, Isak became nervous and decided to introduce himself. That seemed like a good idea. It was better from than excruciating silence anyway.

“Hello there,” said Isak politely and handed his hand out to Sonja, even though he earned a disapproving look from the other man, but at the moment he didn't care. He promised to himself that he would ask Even about his relationship with that woman. “My name is Isak,” he then added and he could see that his politeness had completely caught Sonja off guard.

“It's a pleasure,” said Sonja and forced a smile. The fact that the other man didn't appear to be angry with her as well told her that Even still hadn't told him about her. On the other hand, she saw it before, how Even looked at Isak and even though they were dating for two years, he never looked at her like that. Usually, she would feel envy, but not that time. She was... happy for Even. Happy that he was able to find someone that was better to him than she was and was able to move on. She certainly still hadn't done so. “Are you two together?” she then asked.

“It's none of your business, Sonja,” said Even, his voice still terribly strained as his body was as well. ”Can you please leave us alone? You said that you were with someone, or was that another one of your lies?” asked Even and Isak saw that his words hurt Sonja. Isak then looked at Even, who wore a bitter expression on his face and he let out a small sigh.

“No, I just-”

“Go,” repeated himself Even, slowly growing impatient. He usually was a very patient man, but not when it came to Sonja.

“Even, please-”

“Okay, that's it,” said Even and got onto his legs, signing Isak to follow him. “Isak, we're leaving. My appetite’s been ruined anyway,” said Even and the younger one sent him a confused look. Even pressed his lips when Isak wouldn't follow him and he stepped closer to him, grabbed him by his wrist and pulled him onto his legs. “Isak, we're leaving,” said Even and then narrowed his eyes. Isak felt annoyance kicking in, because he didn't like the way that Even was ordering him around, but because he didn't want to make the situation worse, he just nodded, bowed his head and in silence followed Even. 

“Even, for the love of god, could you please stop and just tell me what the hell is going on?” snapped Isak when he finally had it enough. After leaving the restaurant, the two of them were just walking around the town in circles, Even completely silent and Isak had it enough. “Even,” said Isak and groaned, because Even was still ignoring him. Annoyed, Isak grabbed Even's arm, which finally stopped him and the younger one sighed when Even looked at him.

“I'm sorry,” muttered Even and took in a deep breath. “I thought I'd have my emotions under control by now. We've broken up years ago, but every time I see her... I'm reminded by the pain that she caused me.” Isak nodded and took Even's hand into his own, guiding him to the bench that was close to them and the two of them sat down. They sat like that in silence for a few moments and Even glanced at Isak as the other intertwined their fingers together, calming down at that just a little bit.

“You know,” started Isak after a while. “Talking helps. So, if you wanna talk, I'm here.”

“I'm not sure that I want to talk about my ex with you,” said Even.

“Why not?” Even looked at Isak and sighed; he knew that the younger one had a point and was only trying to be a good boyfriend by helping him out, but he really wasn’t in the mood to be talking about his best relationships. Especially not to Isak, it was still too soon in his opinion. Plus, this was Sonja that he was talking about and it was never a good time to be discussing about the woman anyway. He nervously leaned back against the bench and moved his hand from Isak’s reach and clicked with his tongue, shaking his head. “I don’t really feel like going into details. Let’s just say that our relationship ended badly. It was an ugly breakup, Isak. And I don’t want to ruin such a perfect night talking about Sonja,” said Even, hoping that Isak would just leave it be for that day and not ask him any further questions. Isak pressed his lips together and let out a deep breath. He understood what Even meant in a way, but he still wished that Even wouldn’t be so stubborn about it. He couldn’t force Even to tell him everything, it wouldn’t be a right thing to do. What he had learned so far about the older man was that he also found it difficult to find trust in other people and open up to them was just as difficult for Even as it was for Isak. Before, Isak knew that there had to be a reason why Even was guarding his heart so much and now he finally understood.

“I understand,” muttered the younger one and leaned back, looking up to the sky. He blinked a few times as he observed the stars for a few more seconds, before he continued. “It’s okay if you don’t wanna talk about it. But just so you know, I wouldn’t mind listening,” he then added and glanced at Even, who still didn’t look too convinced.

“You want me to talk about my past relationship on our date?” asked Even, because that was a first for him. All of his past experiences had taught him that it was never a good idea to discuss so openly about your past relationships. “Really?”

“I don’t really see where the problem is,” said Isak, who was completely oblivious to Even's worries. “There’s still a lot of things I don’t know about you, because it’s always just me talking and complaining about my life. I know that you don’t mind listening, but it isn’t fair at times. For a change, I want to be there for you. I want you to know that you can trust me and tell me everything about you… even about your exes. I’d be more than happy to listen about it, if it would help you somehow.”

“Isak,” said Even under his breath and a small smile tugged on his lips as he felt his heart warming up. He took a few moments to think about it and then came to the conclusion that Isak was right. If he wanted this relationship to work to, he needed to open up as well. “You’re right,” said Even slowly and then took Isak’s hand back into his. That put his mind at peace somehow and it gave him a new courage to continue. “I just… don’t know where to start,” he then stammered and for the firs time, Isak was able to another side of Even that he wasn’t used to seeing. The older one looked nervous and even scared somehow; it was fear of getting hurt again. That was why he was shielding his heart so much and Isak was beyond happy that Even opened up and allowed him inside. “It doesn’t matter, you can start at the end or at the beginning,” said Isak softly and gave Even a smile.

“You don’t have to tell me everything if it still hurts too much… no pressure,” he then quickly added and earned a grateful look from Even. Even then took in a deep breath and thought what he should say. He looked at Isak again, who was patiently waiting for him to continue and he pressed his lips together, forming a thin line. Then he realised, no matter what he’d say, it wouldn’t make any difference. Even though they were painful memories, they didn’t matter anymore, because now he had Isak. She couldn’t hurt him anymore.

“I loved her, she was my first love,” said Even softly and looked at Isak, searching for any signs of jealousy, but he got none. All that he found in his eyes was love, there was no judgement. That made him smile again and he let out a hitched breath. “There were lies, she told me so many lies, and I was stupid enough to fall for every single one of them. In the end, she broke my heart… that’s all to it, really. I don’t want to get into details, it wouldn’t make any difference,” he then said and looked down. Isak knew what Even was doing as he kept looking at his face, he was trying to figure out what kind of a reaction he’d have. Maybe Even expected him to get jealous, but he didn’t feel jealous at all. Even said that Sonja was his first love, and that was completely fine; Even wasn’t his first love either, which was completely okay as well. They’ve both had a past, they both lived a life and had fallen in love before and fallen out of it; that’s just life for you.

“I see,” said Isak slowly and smiled. “It’s her loss, really. She was stupid enough to hurt and let go of someone as great as you,” he said and chuckled. “She’s not very bright.”

“So, you’re not bothered by it?” asked Even slowly and Isak arched an eyebrow.

“Bothered by what? That you said she was your first love?” asked Isak and Even nodded. “Of course not,” he made a short pause. “It’s always something about a first love, one never manages to forget that person. And that’s completely fine, if you ask me,” said Isak and looked at Even, who was now smiling as well.

“Do you still remember your first love?” asked Even with a small voice, wanting to know as well.

“Of course, it was Jonas,” said Isak.

“Jonas?” asked Even and his eyes widened.

“We were always inseparable, but when I was around 15 or 16, I figured out that there was a bit more than just friendship that I felt for him,” said Isak and looked at Even, who was carefully listening to him. “I thought that just being by his side was going to be enough for me, you know? But it killed me when he met Eva. I used to hate her from the bottom of my heart. Yeah, I was horrible to her… I was so miserable back then. Trying to pretend someone I wasn’t was exhausting,” he then added and Even nodded, knowing what he meant. “But in the end, as time passed, I managed to get over it and now everything is okay,” said Isak and earned a chuckle from Even. Hearing all of that explained a lot of things to Even and he felt bad that Isak had to go through all of that all by himself. However, as he mentioned before, that didn’t matter anymore. They were lucky enough to find each other and that was enough for both of them. They knew that it didn’t make any sense to dwell about the past if the present was so much more wonderful.

“More than just okay, if you ask me,” muttered the older one and bit into his lower lip, preventing himself from smiling too widely.

“Yeah,” said Isak in agreement and leaned closer to his boyfriend, hugged his chin and pulled his face closer as he placed his lips on top of Even's a few times. As they parted, Isak felt warmth exploding inside his chest and he let out a happy sigh.

“Now then,” said Even and got onto his legs, grabbing Isak by his wrist and pulled him onto his legs as well. “The date isn’t over yet.”

“Oh, you have more things planned?”

“Of course, who do you take me for, angel?” asked Even and chuckled when he saw Isak’s blush growing at the new nick name. “I’m taking you to the movies next,” he then announced and Isak nodded, the smile on his face remaining as they walked to the cinema.

~

''Daddy, are you going somewhere again?” asked Magne with a small voice when he saw that his father was wearing nice clothes again and his heart sunk to the pit of his tummy. Lately, his father had been spending quite a lot of time with Mr. Bech Næsheim and even though the boy didn’t mind spending time with his uncle and aunts, he was bothered by the fact that Isak never wanted to take him along on one of their adventures. Magne didn’t really get it; why did the two of them have to discuss so many things? It didn’t make sense. Also, why couldn’t he go along with his dad? It was unfair that the man was having fun, while he had to be at home. Isak knew how much he liked Mr. Bech Næsheim, so Magne had the right to be slightly annoyed. “Can I come too?” he then asked and placed his hands together behind his back and his big eyes found Isak’s.

“I’m not going anywhere,” said Isak and smiled when he looked at his son, who was curiously waiting for an explanation. Despite his young age, the boy knew when he was going out. He placed a hand on top of Magne’s head and then picked him up, carrying the boy into the living room and placed him onto the sofa, sitting down next to him. “But we are going to have a visitor tonight,” he then added and saw that Magne’s eyes literally lit up. Magne wasn’t stupid; he knew that Even was coming over and he happily clapped with his little hands.

“Mr. Bech Næsheim is coming?” asked Magne happily and giggled happily after Isak nodded. “Yay,” he then happily added, barely containing his excitement. It was true that he was able to see his teacher every day in preschool, but he liked it better when Even didn’t have to take care of other kids as well. That day in the zoo was one of the most fun days that he had so far. “Are we going to zoo again, daddy? Please, can we go, daddy? Pretty please?” started asking Magne and Isak chuckled as the small bundle of joy started jumping up and down the sofa.

“Calm down, Magne,” said Isak, but laughed when Magne shook his head. It was a precious sight to see Magne be so happy and excited about Even coming over. Isak still didn’t tell Magne that he and Even were dating, because he didn’t know how to break the news to his son. Since he adopted Magne, he was never in a relationship and now that he was, he didn’t know how to tell the little boy that. The fact that Magne liked Even was a plus, but he still didn’t know if Magne would understand it at such a young age. Isak shook his head, waking himself up from day dreaming and smiled when Magne climbed into his lap. “I don’t think we’ll able to visit the zoo today,” said Isak and glanced at the window. It was pretty late, Even was coming over to have a dinner with Magne and Isak.

“Why not?” asked Magne.

“Well, it’s pretty late, you know? The animals are sleepy and will probably go to bed soon,” said Isak and Magne pouted, crossing his little arms on top of his chest. “We should let them rest,” he then added and Magne slowly nodded, even though he was still sulking. “But, Even is coming over to have a dinner with the two of us,” stated Isak and Magne’s eyes lit up again when he heard the good news. “That’s pretty exciting, isn’t it?”

“Yes,” said Magne happily and nodded.

“Now then,” said Isak and scooped Magne up into his arms again as he stood up, walking towards the kitchen. “Mr. Bech Næsheim is going to be here any minute now,” he said and Magne interrupted him with a happy giggle. “Want to help me set the table?” he then asked and Magne quickly nodded.

“Yes, I’ll help set the table, daddy,” said Magne, who was sure that he could do it all on his own. He was a big boy, after all.

Even was already sitting in the car, driving towards Isak’s place. The two of them had decided on an evening in and Even couldn’t be happier about that; having a dinner at Isak’s place, while having Magne around sounded absolutely lovely to the man. So far, things were going smooth and Even couldn’t be happier about that either; in his eyes Isak was perfect. No matter what he did or said, he never judged him and he felt his face heating up just a little bit when he felt his heart beating faster as his thoughts were still with Isak. The two months that he had spent with Isak, he had been happier than all of those two years with Sonja combined. And now that things were going to well, he felt anxious, because it felt too good to be true. When things were going good for him, it always ended too soon. Pushing, those annoying feelings away, Even made a left turn and smiled when he finally arrived to Isak’s place. He parked his car in front of the building in which Isak lived and then looked himself in the car mirror. After fixing his hair and checking out his smile, he was finally ready to go meet up with Isak and Magne.

He soon found himself standing outside of Isak’s apartment and he didn’t even hesitate to ring the doorbell. As he was waiting for the other one to open the door, Even straightened his clothes and then flashed a big smirk when the door was finally opened. When Even rang the doorbell, Isak was just in the middle of checking up on the dinner. He and Magne had already made the table and it looked really fancy. It was all thanks to Magne, because it was him that was in charge of setting up the table and the little boy was proud of himself when his dad praised him. Just as Isak was about to say something to Magne, the doorbell rung, making Isak’s heart jump because he knew who it was. Before he could stand up and walk over to the door, Magne was already running to it.

“I am a big boy, I will open the door for Mr. Bech Næsheim. You daddy look after the dinner,” said the excited boy as he skipped his way to the door. Isak bit into his lower lip when he saw how excited his son looked and he shook his head. Magne then opened the door and smiled widely. “Hello,” he said and waved.

Even, who was expecting Isak to be the one to open the door, frowned but then his facial expression softened when he saw Magne standing there instead. He leaned down and he gently ruffled the boy’s head. “Hey, Magne,” said Even happily. “Is your daddy home?” he then asked.

“Yes, daddy’s home,” said Magne and then grabbed Even's hand with his small hands. “He is waiting for you. Come inside,” said the boy, dragging Even inside of the apartment and all that Even could do was to smile and follow Magne. “Daddy, daddy, Mr. Bech Næsheim’s here,” sang Magne happily and Isak quickly stepped out of the kitchen, rubbing his palms together as he stepped to the other two.

“Hey,” said Even softly when his eyes found Isak and the younger one smiled, stepping closer to the man. “Oh, something smells good,” he then said and looked at Isak. “I didn’t know you could cook,” said Even cheekily and Isak chuckled.

“Hey, Even,” said Isak and as Magne was currently looking away allowed himself to press a quick kiss against Even's temple, making the older male let out a happy sigh. Honestly, Even was a bit taken back by the kiss, but it was definitely a welcomed thing. He knew that Isak was still unsure whether he should tell Magne about their relationship or not. Even himself wasn’t sure of that either. He was still Magne’s teacher, so it was probably the best to keep the relationship as a secret for a little while. “Hungry?”

“Mm, yeah,” said Even and nodded. “I’m starving, I can’t wait to see what kind of a delicious meal you’ve prepared.”

“I helped too, Mr. Bech Næsheim,” said Magne and raised his hand high up in the air, just like he did in preschool when he wanted to say something.

“Oh, really?” asked Even and chuckled, kneeling down to the boy. “So, what’s on the menu, little chef?” asked the man playfully and Magne giggled, shaking his head.

“Daddy’s the chef,” stated the boy. “I set up the table,” he then said proudly and patted himself on the chest. “Look, come and see,” he then added and took Even's hand into his own, guiding him to the kitchen, Even more than happy to follow Isak’s little son. Isak followed the other two in silence and smiled when he saw how proud and happy Magne looked. Even smiled when he saw the dining table and he could see that Magne put a lot of work in preparing it. The thing was so important to Magne, it was beyond adorable and he let out a happy sigh.

“You really did this all on your own?” asked Even and Magne happily nodded when he saw that his teacher looked impressed. “I’m impressed. Good job, young man,” he said.

''Thank you, Mr. Bech Næsheim,'' said Magne happily and giggled when Even ruffled his hair gently.

The rest of the evening passed by in complete joy. After finishing the dinner, the three of them played some family games. In the end, it was Magne and Even who won most the games and ended up teasing Isak for always losing. As more time passed, Magne was growing more and more tired and even though he didn't want to go, he went to bed in the end. For a change, it was Even who read him a night time story that night and after the boy fell asleep, Even and Isak went back to the living room.

They were currently sitting on the sofa, Isak's hands gripping onto Even's shirt as the older male was softly moaning into their deep kiss. Even then pulled back and chuckled when Isak’s face came closer to his again. He watched how Isak’s eyes slowly fluttered shut as he came even closer to him and Even closed his own eyes when their lips came in contact once more. Even placed his fingers under the younger one’s chin and gently lifted his head a little bit so that he could kiss him properly. Isak felt how his heartbeat sped up when Even pulled him closer and he gently placed his hands on top of Even's chest, feeling the man’s slow heartbeat. Isak smiled into their slow kiss and then he kissed Even back, applying a little bit more pressure to the kiss, making Even let out a small gasp. Isak lifted himself up and then awkwardly straddled Even's legs. The older one watched him in amusement and he then waggled his eyebrows as he placed his hands on Isak’s sides, running them down and stopping them onto his thighs, which made Isak’s body shudder. Isak gave his lover a teasing smirk and then gently pushed him down against the sofa.

Even was more than glad to obey the command and he wrapped his arms around Isak’s neck and pulled the other one down as he lied back, against the sofa. He then slowly parted his legs and Isak settled his body between them, gaining a gasp of approval from Even. “Even,” said Isak and gave Even another feverish kiss. “More,” he then whispered into Even's ear and that made pleasurable shivers run up the older one’s spine. As soon as that left Isak’s mouth, Even pulled him down for another kiss. He ran his tongue over Isak’s lower lip, begging for entry. Isak moaned when he felt Even's tongue against his lips and he immediately parted his lips, allowing Even to explore and taste the warmth of his mouth. Even felt how his body started heating up and he slid his hands down, stopping them onto Isak’s neck for a few moments. As their lips were still locked in an intense kiss, Even slid his hands even lower and stopped them onto Isak’s behind, giving it a gentle squeeze, which only made Isak moan into their deep kiss.

“F-feels good?” asked Even when he broke their kiss for a second. He wanted to say something else, but Isak interrupted him by claiming his lips once more. Even took that as a sign that Isak must’ve been feeling good. Isak then moved his hips a little bit with anticipation burning in his abdomen and when Even groaned, Isak moaned as well. He knew that it was risky for them to be in the middle of a make out session in living room; Magne could wake up. There was that little voice screaming inside of him to stop, but as Even's hands kept on roaming all around his body made Isak soon forget all about that and he went back to enjoying himself. Even slid his fingers under Isak’s shirt and started slowly lifting it up.

Just when he was about to remove it, both of them heard how the door of Magne’s bedroom suddenly opened and Isak quickly got off of Even and started straightening his clothes. Even at first didn’t get what was happening, but after seeing that Magne entered the room, he soon stood up and cleared his throat. Good thing that Isak’s reflexes were so fast. “What wrong, Magne?” asked Isak and cleared his throat, but his question was answered as soon as he saw Magne; the little boy was squeezing his plush tightly to himself and his big eyes were filled with tears. He was having nightmares, again. He quickly hurried to the boy, picked him up and hugged him tightly as Magne buried his face into his dad’s shoulder and hiccupped loudly. Even's heart broke when he saw the state that Magne was in and even though he didn’t know what was going on, he wanted to be of some kind of help. However, when he saw how distressed Magne looked, he decided not to go closer after all and kept his distance as Isak struggled to calm down the crying and sobbing boy. From what he could make out, Magne was woken up by a nightmare and Even pressed his lips together. “Shh, Magne, come down, it was just a dream,” whispered Isak and carried the crying boy to the couch, sitting down with Magne in his arms and he pressed the boy closer to himself, so that the other would know that he wasn’t alone after all. “I know that it was scary, but whatever you saw, it can’t hurt you. Dreams aren’t real, remember?” tried Isak again, but even that didn’t manage to calm down Magne down.

Isak then said something under his breath and pressed his lips together. At times like that, he really felt powerless; he wanted to help Magne so badly, but he didn’t know how to. It was always like that with his dreams. Magne squeezed his eyes tightly shut, but the dark figure from his dreams flashed in front of his eyes and he let out a loud sob. The dark figure from his dreams was an evil man; Magne had a feeling that he had seen him somewhere in real life, but he couldn’t place him where he had met the man. The man was yelling and screaming at him, telling him to be quiet. Because Magne was crying in his dreams as well, the dark figure locked the boy into a small and dark room and left him all alone. The feeling of loneliness that he felt scared him and he didn’t want to return to that horrible place. No matter how many times Isak told him that nightmares couldn’t hurt him, it didn’t help. They were still scary to the small boy and he wanted them to be gone, but he didn’t know how to do that.

“What was the dream about, Magne?” asked Even softly and Isak quickly turned to him, mouthing him a quick ‘no’. Even frowned and sighed, if Isak wanted the nightmares to end, he and Magne needed to talk about whatever was chasing Magne in his dreams. Only that way would he be able to get over them. “Isak, trust me… I know what I’m doing,” he said. “Talking about it helps.”

“I know, but I can’t force him to-”

“T-there was a scary man,” started Magne and even though he was scared to talk about his dreams, he felt calmer somehow. Usually his father didn’t force him into telling him whatever was bothering him, because he didn’t want to traumatise the poor child any further, but at that time, Magne wanted to tell someone about that scary and awful man from his dreams. He didn’t want to be the only one to know about him.

“Magne,” stammered Isak. “You don’t have to-”

“Let him continue, Isak,” said Even softly and Isak, who was still rocking the boy back and forth in his arms, let out a deep breath. “You do trust me, right?” whispered Even. “I’d never do something that would hurt Magne and-”

“I trust you,” said Isak quickly and Even chuckled softly, placing his hand on top of Magne’s head as he stepped closer to the duo and sat down next to Isak. Magne lifted his head up and his tear filled eyes found Even's ones, which were filled with warmth and love. Magne knew that he could trust his teacher, he would never hurt him like that terrible man in his dreams. “Now then, Magne,” said Even patiently. “What did the man do?”

“H-he was angry with me. H-he told me to be quiet, but I wasn’t,” stammered the boy and Isak pressed his lips together when Magne’s body started shivering with fear as he started to remember his dream again. “A-and then, he got really angry. He locked me inside of a dark and scary place,” said Magne with a small voice. “I-I tried to get out, b-but the door didn’t open. A-and then I heard him laughing and I was all alone and it was so scary,” added Magne and looked at Even, whose heart pained, but he didn’t let that show on his face.

“I see,” whispered Even. “That sounds like a scary dream to have,” he said and Magne nodded. “But there is a way to make your dream less scary, you know?” said Even after a while and Magne’s eyes widened in curiosity. Even smiled and was glad to see that Magne wasn’t crying anymore. He still looked upset, but it was a lot better than before. “Well, if that man visits you in your dream again, tell him that you made a new friend and if he tries to bother you, just tell him that that friend is going to turn him into an ugly frog,” he added, trying to be funny and pressed his lips, because he didn’t know if it would work. However, after a second or so, Magne’s face brightened and a quiet, but happy giggle escaped past his lips. Even let out a relieved sigh and looked at Isak, who wasn’t smiling for some reason. His face was dark with worry and anger, making Even think that he was angry of him. He might’ve said too much; Magne was Isak’s son and not his after all. That was something that Even needed to remind himself quite a few times. Isak, on the other hand, was angry, but not at Even. The things that Magne described, all happened in real life. When he adopted Magne, the people in the orphanage told him that Magne’s father was an alcoholic, and so was his mother. When they didn’t want to deal with their son, they would lock him into a closet. When child services came to pick Magne up, they found him in a closet and from what he was told, he was in a horrible condition. So, what Magne dreamed about really happened, he was just too young to remember it. “Isak?” asked Even and that finally brought Isak back to reality.

Isak’s expression suddenly changed and he forced a smile as he looked at Even, who wore a troubled expression on his face. Isak puffed his cheeks and looked at Magne, who was now in a better mood. “Feeling better?” stammered Isak.

“Yes! I’ll turn that man into a frog if he comes to my dreams again,” joked Magne and even though he was still bothered by the dream, he felt a lot better thank to his dad and Even.

“Do you think you’ll be able to go back to sleep?” asked Isak softly and Magne bravely nodded.

“Yes, but,” said Magne and made a short pause. “C-can you sleep with me tonight, daddy?” asked Magne and Isak nodded, because he was more than happy to do that. He picked up Magne again and carried the boy into his room, climbing on top of Magne’s bed with his son in his arms. Even, on the other hand, decided to wait in the living room for a few moments. He didn’t know if he should follow Isak or not; he looked really angry before. However, as 20 minutes passed, Even slowly made his way to Magne’s bedroom and peaked inside, chuckling when he saw that the other two were already both soundly asleep. Even though he didn't want to disturb Magne, he slowly stepped inside, his heart melting at the sight of the two of them; they were adorable. Magne was adorable as always, but there was just something about Isak's sleeping face that had completely captivated the man and he couldn't tear his eyes away from his boyfriend. With a chuckle, Even sat down onto the chair, which was placed next to Magne's bed and bit into his lower lip as he leaned closer to Isak. He had a face of an angel when he slept, like usually, but he looked much younger now. Even removed some of the hair from Isak's forehead and grinned when Isak's eyebrows moved at the touch and he mumbled something that Even couldn't make out what it was. That warmed the man's heart and he leaned closer, placing his lips on top of Isak's lips and smiled when he saw that that woke the younger one up. Pity, he could have some more fun. Isak slowly opened his eyes when he felt something being pressed against his lips and he smiled when he saw that Even kissed him. He was confused at first, but then realised that he must've fallen asleep with Magne.

''You were awaken by my kiss,'' said Even and Isak rolled his eyes. ''Maybe I do posses some magic after all,'' he said and chuckled when Isak raised one of his eyebrows. ''I'm your prince Charming,'' joked Even.

''Yes you are,'' hummed Isak in agreement. ''You're very dashing.''

''Thank you,'' whispered Even and grinned when Isak sat up and kissed him as well. ''How are you?'' asked Even then and his face became serious. ''You looked angry when I was talking with Magne before… Did I say too much?''

''No, you said nothing wrong,'' said Isak and made a short pause. ''Magne's nightmares… are actually memories that he can't really remember because he was too young. I mentioned that Magne's biological parents were horrible to him, right?'' asked Isak and looked at the sleeping boy. Even nodded, but didn't say anything. ''Even I don't know all of the details, but what I do know is that they found Magne locked in a closet,'' said Isak and Even's eyes widened. ''The explanation that those people gave was that it was their way of quieting down a crying child… by locking him away.''

''Oh, god,'' whispered Even.

''Yeah,'' said Isak. ''Thank god, he's a lot better now. The therapist that is working with him managed to help him out so much. And there's you as well… and my family. I'm happy to see him smiling these days,'' said Isak and looked down when Even took his hand and linked their fingers together.

''I'm glad to be able to be a part of his life,'' muttered Even and looked up at Isak. ''And yours, of course,'' he then quickly added and Isak couldn't help but to kiss his boyfriend.

After that, the two of them continued to talk there for quite some time, until they both fell asleep next to Magne. While Isak was sleeping on the bed, Even fell asleep right on that chair, his hand still holding Isak's as they slept. When morning came, it was Magne that woke up the first time, that time without any nightmares. He rubbed his tired eyes as he slowly got up into sitting position and his eyes widened when he saw his father sleeping next to him. What surprised him even more was the fact that Mr. Bech Næsheim was soundly asleep in the chair and a bright smile spread across the boy's face when he saw that Isak and Even were holding hands.


	6. School trip

It was the end of the second day of the school trip that Isak had agreed to go along with Even, Magne and the rest of the children. So far, he was having a good time. The days were filled with fun activities and even though he didn’t spend a lot of time alone with Even, that didn’t really matter. He was happy that he got to be a part of the trip and what made him even happier was the fact that he was able to witness Magne playing around with his classmates. Up until then, he had made quite a few friends, so there was nothing stopping the little boy from having fun and Isak knew that Magne must’ve liked the fact that he came along to the school trip as well.

Currently, Isak was in his room and was lying on the bed. It was still pretty early, but the kids had already gone to sleep. Since Even was one of the teachers, he had to share the room with a group of children, in which Magne was as well. Isak, on the other hand, was the only one who was granted his own room and even though he thought that it would be nice to be all alone after a long day with children and other parents, he wasn’t so sure anymore. He was tempted to go out and seek out for Even, who would go hang out with other teachers after the kids would fall asleep, but in the end decided not to do that. He could see the stares from the others when he and Even would be together; it was very obvious the relationship they shared. Since Isak didn’t know if that would cause Even problems or not, he decided to stay in his room and if Even wanted to see him, he would seek him out on his own; he knew where he was.

Even, on the other hands, was still with children, which finally fell asleep and he turned off the lights, leaving the door open, so that the light from the hallway lightened up the children’s room. Some of them were still afraid of sleeping in complete darkness and because he didn’t want to traumatise anyone, that was the best solution. After that, he walked over to the room where most of the teachers and parents were, expecting to see Isak there as well. However, he was faced with disappointment when he couldn’t see his boyfriend there and he frowned. If he wasn’t there, then he must’ve been in his room. With that on his mind, Even left the others and walked towards the younger one’s room.

As Isak heard a knock on the door, he was on his legs in a second and walked over to the door, unlocking it and he smiled when he saw Even standing there. “Here you are, I was searching for you,” said Even and Isak chuckled, opening the door wider for the older one. Even smiled back as well and then stepped inside of the room when Isak held the door open wider for him to step inside. “How come you aren’t with the others? They were asking about you, you know.”

“I’m not really in the mood to talk to others. But I’m happy to see you,” said Isak and yawned, sitting back down on his bed and looked up at Even, who arched an eyebrow and waited for an explanation. “I’m really tired. I had a great time with you and the others today, but running after the children all day long is… exhausting. Fun, but exhausting,” he then quickly added and Even chuckled, because he knew what Isak meant.

“You lack stamina, darling,” joked Even and sat down next to Isak.

“Hmm?” hummed Isak and his smile grew as Even was coming closer to his face and chuckled when their lips met in a short, but sweet kiss. “You clearly don’t, huh?” joked Isak back.

“Of course not, I still have plenty of energy saved up,” muttered Even and gently held Isak’s face and pushed his face closer, giving him another kiss that lasted slightly longer. He would’ve wanted to do much more than to just kiss the other one, but he would have to be satisfied with just a kiss for the time being. Isak’s eyes closed as he kissed Even back and they parted in the end after exchanging a few more sweet kisses.

“Did Magne manage to sleep all on his own today?” asked Isak when he remembered that Magne had some troubles with falling asleep the previous night with the room full of other children. He could see that his son was troubled, but knowing that Even would sleep in the same room as well made him calm enough to fall asleep after some time. To manage to achieve that, Even allowed Magne to fall sleep with him on his bed and then he carried the sleeping boy onto his own bed.

“Yeah,” said Even and smiled as looked at Isak. “There were no troubles today. Probably because he was too tired for worrying as well. We’ve walked quite a lot today, so it’s no wonders that they all fell asleep in within fifteen minutes,” said Even and chuckled when Isak yawned and nodded in agreement. That sight of Isak was adorable as well and the older one buried his fingers deep into Isak’s hair and the younger one let out a small gasp of approval, absolutely loving the way that Even's fingers were massaging his scalp. “You look terribly exhausted as well,” muttered Even and grinned. “Want me to tuck you in and read you a bed time story as well?”

Isak’s cheeks coloured themselves into bright pink colour and he scrunched his nose at Even's words. “I’m not a child, Even,” stated Isak, but just as he said that, he yawned again and Even's soft laughter filled the bedroom. “Hilarious,” said Isak dryly, but smiled in the end as well when the older male kissed the tip of his nose.

“You’re adorable, Isak,” whispered Even and placed a hand on top of Isak’s chest, gently pushing him back against the bed. “But you do look tired,” he then added when he saw dark circles under Isak’s eyes and gained an eye roll from his boyfriend. In the end, Isak ended up lying down and was more than glad to see that Even laid down with his as well. “Sleep. I’ll be here until you fall asleep, okay?” asked Even and Isak slowly nodded.

Isak looked into Even's eyes and then took the older’s hand into his own, bringing both of their hands up to his lips. He gently held Even's hand with his own and made sure that he pressed a kiss against his every finger. Even raised his eyebrows, but allowed Isak to do as he pleased and warmth exploded inside of his chest when Isak moved closer and gently touched his cheek with his thumb, gently running it up and down. Isak then ran a finger over Even's full, soft lips and the other slowly parted them, gasping at the touch.

“You’re beautiful,” blurted out Isak and even though his face burned with embarrassment, he did nothing to hide how embarrassed he really was. A shy smile spread across his face when he saw that Even looked a bit taken back from his sudden words and he chuckled. “You’re perfect,” he then added, his voice shaking just a little bit.

Even's eyes widened when Isak called him beautiful and his heart started beating just a little bit faster. Getting compliments was nothing new to Even, but being called beautiful by Isak really was something else, and he was unable to hold back his smile when he saw that Isak looked a bit nervous and embarrassed. That man meant the world to Even and it was scary just how deeply in love he was with him. “I love you, Isak,” whispered Even against Isak’s lips. They both knew how they felt about each other, but saying those words out loud for the first time made those feelings even stronger and more real.

“Even,” stammered Isak. He gently gripped the fabric of the man’s shirt and pulled him closer, so that he could give him a proper kiss. “I love you too,” he said and bit into his lower lip when Even's smile widened. “So much.”

“I know,” said Even and chuckled. “Come here,” he then added and their lips met in yet another kiss.

It was the last day of the school trip and the kids were currently doing their last activity of the day. The kids were divided into groups of four and each group had to do a short presentation about what they liked the most about the trip. While the kids were working on their projects, the teachers and parents were walking around the room and helped the kids whenever they needed some advice or help from the grownups. Isak was currently sitting near one of the groups and his eyes were on Even, who was currently helping Magne’s group and he chuckled when Magne looked to him and waved to him. The young man then crossed his arms on top of his chest and then walked closer to one of the other groups, which called for his help.

Magne wasn’t too fond of work in groups, but because he had his dad and Even there, he decided that he wouldn’t make a scene, he didn’t want to embarrass his dad in front of other people. When Even walked away, Magne’s smile faltered just a little bit, because he started thinking about talking in front of others and he didn’t like that one bit. Also, he was in a group with that annoying kid Richie, which insulted his family about a month ago. Even though the boy apologised to him, Magne still didn’t like him too much. He would be much rather in some other group, but since no other groups wanted to have Richie on their team, the teachers decided where the boy was going to be.

Pushing those thoughts away, Magne’s mood brightened just a little bit when he started thinking about the fun trip that he had. They were out in nature for the most parts and Magne had a lot of fun playing around with his friends, his dad and Mr. Bech Næsheim. Even though he couldn’t spend time alone with the other two, he was still beyond happy and he wished that every day could be like that… spending time together with Mr. Bech Næsheim and his dad was really fun. The boy could also tell that his dad liked spending time with Even. Despite his young age, Magne had a feeling that his dad like Mr. Bech Næsheim in that kind of way. If that happened to be the truth, Magne would be beyond happy. Then, Mr. Bech Næsheim and his dad could get married and Even could become his new dad. Magne’s eyes sparkled when he continued to think about Even being a part of their family and he giggled happily when he glanced at Even and Isak, which were currently busy with chatting with each other.

“And what did you like the most?” asked a girl , Wendy, that was sitting down next to Magne and the boy quickly looked at her, remembering that they were still working on that project. Since the girl was his friend, the little boy smiled and pressed his little palms together as he started thinking about it; when did he have the most fun? In the end, he came to the conclusion that finding the secret treasure was the most fun and his eyes lit up.

“The secret treasure,” muttered the boy slowly and looked around, to see if the others were going to agree with him. He was kind of used to other kids usually not agreeing with him that he was half of expecting them to ignore him, but he smiled when all of them, even Richie, nodded.

“Yeah, searching for the treasure was fun,” said the other boy in their group and Magne proudly smiled. “What did you like, Wendy?” asked Magne the girl.

“Playing hide and seek with you,” muttered the girl and Magne’s cheeks heated up at that. The boy opened his mouth to say something, but then quickly closed them back and looked down, covering his red face with his palms. He wanted to say that he liked playing the game with her too, but ended up not saying anything. There was a weird feeling present in his tummy again, but it was different from the usual.

Isak frowned when he saw Magne hiding his face and he signed Even to come closer. “Something’s weird,” muttered Isak and pointed to Magne, who was now looking down and his face was still bright red, making Isak narrow his eyes. Magne was talking with a girl, but seemed too shy to look up at her. “Don’t tell me-”

“It looks like little Magne has a crush on someone,” said Even and chuckled as Magne struggled to talk to his friend. Isak’s smile widened as well and he covered his mouth as he started laughing; Magne was beyond precious. “It’s so cute,” commented Even as he sat down next to Isak and gently nudged Isak’s leg with his own. “He’s just like you around people that he likes… so easily embarrassed,” whispered the older one then and Isak rolled his eyes.

After that, the kids told their presentations in front of everyone. Because Magne was too shy to talk, other members of his group talked, but no one really minded that too much. As expected, most of the children picked up the search after the secret treasure to be their favourite activity on that trip. As they were done with the projects, they still had some more free time and the kids spent it by playing around the playroom. Just as expected, Magne was playing mostly with Wendy. Isak watched the two of them play with a huge smile on his face.

As the day was coming to an end, it was soon a time for them to leave. Magne was quite disappointed that they had to leave, but at the same time, he couldn’t wait to be back home in his room. When they parted for the trip, Magne sat together with Isak on the bus, because he didn’t want to share a sit with other kids, so Isak was pleasantly surprised when Magne asked him if it was okay for him to sit with someone else.

“Daddy, is it okay if I sit with someone else on the bus?” asked the boy as they were waiting for the bus and Isak blinked a few times, but he quickly nodded.

“Of course it is,” said Isak and chuckled, gently ruffling the boy’s hair.

“But,” started Magne and pressed his hands together behind his back. “Won’t you be lonely?”

“Hmm? I’ll be okay, I’ll ask Mr. Bech Næsheim to sit with me, so don’t worry,” said Isak, finding it adorable that Magne cared so much about the matter. “And who will you sit, if you don’t mind me asking?” asked Isak, even though he already knew the answer.

“With Wendy,” said the boy and Isak chuckled when Magne blushed again.

“All right,” said Isak and smiled when Magne’s eyes lit up and he literally ran up to the girl, to tell her that his father said that it was okay for them to sit together.

When the bus came and after they were done with getting everyone on board and making sure that they had all of the kids on the bus, they finally parted to go back home. Isak was sitting in front of the bus, with the rest of parents and teachers and smiled when someone gently tapped him onto the shoulder. “Is the sit taken?” asked Even and Isak shook his head.

“It’s all yours,” said Isak with a smile and Even quickly sat down.

“I see that Magne decided to sit with his friends,” said the older one.

“Yeah, he’s sitting with the girl that he likes,” muttered Isak happily and Even chuckled.

The way back home wasn’t exactly short, so Even ended up falling asleep as he was talking with Isak. The younger one chuckled and gently placed Even's head on top of his shoulder and then rested his own head on top of Even's. Even though he himself wasn’t sleeping, he closed his eyes and a bright smile spread across his face as he gently held Even's hand, not caring anymore what others thought about their relationship anymore. Besides, no one really paid attention to them, since they were too busy with dealing with the kids.

~

''Oh this is so exciting,'' squealed Sana and earned a horrified look. “I can’t believe we’re finally going to meet Even,” she then went on by saying, not hiding her excitement at all. At the moment, Isak, Sana, Jonas and Eva were all hanging out in Isak’s apartment. After three months of dating Even, Isak finally came to the conclusion that it was about time that his other family members met Even as well. Since the grownups have decided to go out after that, Magne was currently spending time with his grandparents, since it had been quite some time that he had last seen them. Also, in boy’s opinion, he knew that the grownups were probably going to be discussing about something boring again.

“It took you long enough to introduce him to us,” commented Jonas and chuckled when he saw that Isak looked rather nervous about the whole ‘meeting the family’ thing. Isak wasn’t exactly nervous, but he was a bit impatient to see how things were going to go. Isak rarely introduced the people that he was dating to his family; so all of them were pleasantly surprised when Isak finally decided that it was okay for them to meet. On the other hand, Isak still wasn’t ready for Even to meet his parents. They indeed were his family, but the young man had his reasons. “I mean you’ve been dating this guy, for what… about three months now? And you still haven’t told me anything about him,” muttered Jonas, pressing his lips together and he crossed his arms on top of his chest. “Back in the day, you used to tell me everything. I’m deeply hurt.”

“Of course you are,” said Isak and rolled his eyes as he was still pacing around his apartment. He could see that Eva’s eyes were on him and when he glanced at her, the girl gave him a warm smile and signed him to sit next to her. In the end, Isak nodded and sat down next to Eva, who placed her hand gently onto his shoulder, trying to calm him down a bit. The two of them still weren’t that close, so it was a bit awkward. However, ever since Jonas and she got married, Eva could tell that Isak was trying really hard on making their relationship work as well.

“I’m sure everything’s gonna be okay,” said the redhead and smiled. “You worry way too much. I promise to be on my best behaviour,” she then added, joking of course and Isak just let out a nervous laugh.

“Oh, I’m not worried about you,” said Isak, half joking, half serious. “I’m more worried about those two,” he then added and pointed to Sana and Jonas, who both had smirks plastered over their faces and Isak’s face darkened. He didn’t like it when they got like that. At all. “Sana, please promise me you won’t smother him with questions.”

“Me?!” asked Sana and in a dramatic way placed a hand over her heart. “When have I ever?”

“Oh, funny,” stated Isak dryly and his reaction made Jonas laugh out loud. Isak sent him an angry look, which quieted him down almost immediately, but the annoying smile remained on his face and at the moment Isak wished nothing but to find a way to wipe that annoying grin off of Jonas’s face.

“Don’t worry, dude,” said Jonas in the end. “Come on, you know us. We don’t bite… usually,” he then added and all that Isak could really do at that point was to press a palm against his forehead and he let out a loud groan.

“Jonas, stop being an idiot,” muttered Eva and Isak sent her a grateful look; at least someone in the room was taking him seriously. Jonas narrowed his eyes as he looked towards his wife and when he was about to say something as a protest, Eva quieted him down with a quick kiss. He wasn’t annoying Isak only, Eva as well was quite annoyed with Jonas and she let out a small sigh.

After a few moments or so, the doorbell finally rang and Sana was already on her legs, walking towards the door as she wanted to be the first one to greet Isak’s boyfriend. “He’s here already,” announced Sana as she was happily walking towards the door. Horrified, Isak quickly followed her to the door and nervously chewed on his lower lip as he watched how Sana opened the door and greeted his boyfriend.

Even was in a good mood that day, because he was finally going to meet some of Isak’s family. He’d heard so many stories about them, so he was really eager on meeting them. He laughed when Isak warned him about them, especially about Sana. According to Isak, she’d attack him with all sorts of questions, which in Even's opinion was completely understandable. Yet, the way that Isak said it, made him laugh. When he found himself in front of Isak’s apartment, he didn’t waste any more time and quickly rang the door. He smiled, because he could hear clacking sounds of heels coming closer to the door, which was followed by the sound of a loud groan and long, heavy footsteps coming to the door as well. Even rubbed his palms together when the door opened and smiled politely to the person, who opened the door for him.

“Hello, there,” said Even slowly and his smile widened when he saw a girl. He could already tell that that was Isak’s bestfriend, Sana. “How’s it going?” he then asked and chuckled when he noticed Isak peaking in the back. For some reason, Isak wore a nervous expression on his face.

“Hello,” said Sana happily and extended her arm immediately, slowly shaking Even's hand. Sana blinked a few times as she continued to stare at the older man and she could see it immediately why Isak was so quickly drawn to the man. He was gorgeous. Not only did the skinny jeans and the oversized sweater that he was wearing made him look amazing. “I’m Sana, Isak’s amazing best friend,” she then finally said and opened the door wider, so that Even could step inside. “But you can call me Sana.”

“It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Sana,” said Even and straightened his clothes a bit when he was inside of Isak’s apartment and gave Isak one of his warmest smiles. “I’ve heard a lot about you so far,” he then quickly added and Sana hummed in amusement as she stepped closer to Isak and gently nudged him.

“I hope that Isak told you just the good stuff,” she teased and Even nodded. “Now then, come and meet the others,” she then added and disappeared into the kitchen, because she sensed that Isak wanted to have a moment alone with Even.

“Hey, you okay?” asked Even and beamed up at his boyfriend, who slowly nodded and leaned down to press their lips together a few times. “Sana seems nice,” he then added and Isak shrugged.

“Don’t let her fool you just yet,” said Isak slowly, because he knew that the questions were going to come at one point or the other. At Isak’s words, Even swallowed back a chuckle and then slowly took Isak’s hand into his own. “Now then, follow me so that you can meet Eva and Jonas as well,” said Isak slowly and guided Even into his living room.

Even slowly nodded and allowed himself to be pulled across the room, slowly following Isak into the living room. Next to Sana, there were sitting Jonas and Eva. When they were done introducing themselves, silence fell between them and Even pressed his lips together. He could tell that the others wanted to start a conversation with him, but with Isak being so nervous, none of them dared to speak. Even frowned at that and puffed his cheeks, gently placing a hand over Isak’s leg.

“Darling, you’re terribly nervous,” commented Even. “What’s the matter?”

“He’s worried that we’re going to embarrass him,” blurted out Jonas and tried his best to hold back his laughter when Isak looked at him.

“He’s worrying way too much,” muttered Eva and Sana nodded in agreement.

“Yeah, you need to loosen up a bit,” said Sana and Isak groaned.

The tips of Isak’s ears coloured themselves into bright red colour and Even's soft laughter filled the room. Isak was even more adorable than usual now that he was in presence of his family. Isak looked at Even, who was to his horror laughing as well and all of the colour rushed into his head. However, he calmed down when Even linked their fingers together as they were still holding hands. “Yeah, you’re right, I guess,” stammered Isak and in the end managed a weak smile.

“That’s it,” said Even when he saw a smile appearing on Isak’s face and pressed a quick kiss against Isak’s temple. “Stop filling your pretty little head with useless worries and just start enjoying yourself,” he then added and Isak’s face heated up when he heard muffled laughter from Jonas. However, this time, the boy's shoulder received a well-deserved punch from Sana. Then, it was Jonas’s turn to stop pouting and for a moment, he decided to ignore everyone around him, so that his big ego could cool off.

“Now then,” started Sana and rubbed her palms together. Isak glanced at Sana and closed his eyes, because he knew that the answers were going to start. “Tell us something about yourself,” said Sana and Isak managed to hold back his groan of annoyance

“Hmm?” asked Even and pressed his lips together. “Like what?”

“Anything really,” said Eva.

“Let’s see,” started Even and chuckled when he saw that Isak wanted to disappear from the face of the Earth at the moment. “I’m 28,” said Even slowly and gained an eye roll from Jonas.

“We know that,” said the boy. “I don’t know, you could tell us how the two of you met and-”

“You know how they met, Jonas… he’s Magne’s teacher,” said Eva and gave her husband a look, which made Even laugh out loud. Jonas might’ve been pleasant on the eyes, but he was apparently quite an airhead, wasn’t he?

“I mean, honestly Jonas?” asked Sana and narrowed her eyes.

“I know,” whined the boy. “Could you just please let me finish?” he then asked and both Eva and Sana stopped talking for the time being. “Thank you,” he then said and made a short pause, before he continued. “Now then,” said Jonas and his usual smirk appeared on his face again. “How was Isak when he first saw you? Usually, when he sees someone that he fancies, he’s hilariously clumsy.”

“Gee, thanks, Jonas,” said Isak and crossed his arms back on top of his chest. “You’re no better just so you know. When you first met Eva, and I mean no offence to you right now,” he said and made a short pause as he looked at Eva, who just shook her head and smiled. “You were constantly making an ass of yourself and-”

“Come on boys, calm down,” said Sana.

“We’re not at kindergarten anymore,” added Eva and gained a chuckle from Even.

“We might at least still be,” said Isak and looked down, sulking as everyone around him was holding back their laughter. Even sighed and placed his hand on top of Isak’s head and gently ruffled his head. The man knew that his friends meant no harm, they were just teasing him, but it was only for fun. That was something that Isak knew as well, so he wasn’t in particularly angry with anyone. Yet, he decided that it was completely reasonable to sulk some more. However, a smile cracked his serious expression when Even whispered something into his ear and he slowly nodded.

Even then pressed a light kiss on top of Isak’s lips and the younger one returned him a quick kiss, which didn’t last more than a second. As the two of them were lost in their own world, Jonas received a light punch on the shoulder and he looked to Eva, who was in the middle of pouting. “What did I do now? I didn’t even say anything.”

“That’s not it,” whined Eva. “Why aren’t you so sweet to me like that anymore?”

“God, not this again,” said Jonas and rolled his eyes, everyone in the room, including Jonas bursting into loud laughter.

“But on more serious note,” said Sana and both Even and Isak looked at her. “I’m really happy for the two of you. Both Isak and Magne seem a lot happier ever since they met you. You don’t know how happy I am for Isak,” she then added and Even sent her a warm smile.

“Yeah, it’s really nice to see Magne smiling after all he’s been put through so far,” said Eva and nodded in agreement. Jonas, on the other hand, didn’t say anything. He wasn’t into the whole touchy-feely subjects, but just his fast pat on the back was enough to let Isak know that he was thinking the same and he gave Isak a warm smile as well.

“It’s been a pleasure, really,” said Even. “But you’re giving me far too much credit. And also,” he said and made a short pause. “I could say the same about Isak and Magne; they both make me a happier man,” added Even and Isak’s face heated up just a little bit.

“Ah, man, you two are too lovey-dovey,” complained Jonas and all of them burst into laughter again.

“So where should we go?” asked Eva after a while.

“To the mall,” was Sana’s first preposition and Eva quickly nodded in agreement. “We could go shopping there,” she went on by saying and Even chuckled when Isak and Jonas looked at each other and made a face.

“Oh, they also have a bowling alley there, so we could go bowling after shopping!” said Eva happily.

“Not a fan of bowling,” said Even. “But shopping does sound fun,” he then quickly added and Sana in particular looked too happy in Isak’s opinion. Isak opened his mouth to say something in protest, but Even shushed him by saying, “You’re in no opposition to decline the offer, darling. I’ve seen your closet, you need something new to wear.”

“Finally, someone agrees,” said Sana.

“What are you laughing at?” asked Eva when she noticed that Jonas was having too much fun and she gently poked him. “Shopping will do you good as well,” she then added playfully.

“What is that supposed to mean?” asked Jonas, offended. He frowned when Eva just giggled in response and looked at Sana, who appeared to agree with the redhead. “Eva?” whined Jonas and looked at his wife. “Stop laughing and-”

“Shopping it is then,” said Sana happily and clapped with her hands. “Oh, this is going to be so fun,” she went on by saying. 

“Sounds good,” said Even and chuckled when Isak gently tugged onto his sleeve and mouthed him a ‘Bad idea, Even.’ Not thinking of it too much, Even put Isak’s worries to peace by kissing his temple.

They’ve spent some more time talking with each other and just as they were about to leave, Sana’s phone started ringing. Much to Isak’s suspicion, it was Sana’s boyfriend, Yousef, who he wasn’t that fond of either. Yousef was far too loud for Isak’s liking and for the most parts, he didn’t find his jokes funny, because he didn’t get them. But Sana appeared to be happy with the guy, so Isak never made any comments against their relationship. Plus, he could see that Yousef really cared about Sana.

“Isak, Yousef is asking if he can come along to the mall with us,” asked Sana, who was still on the phone with Yousef and Isak rolled his eyes. Of course the other one wanted to join them. It was kind of suspicious that Yousef didn’t join them in Isak’s apartment. But there he was.

“Who’s Yousef?” asked Even.

“Sana’s boyfriend,” said Isak.

“Isak doesn’t like him very much,” said Eva with a small voice. Pity, Yousef was her childhood friend and she really didn’t get it why Isak disliked him that much.

“Isak doesn’t like anyone,” joked Jonas and kissed Eva’s cheek. “It shouldn’t bother you by now anymore.”

“So, can he come along or not?” asked Sana, still on the phone and was slowly running out of patience.

Isak glanced at Even, who just shrugged and then sighed. “Fine, he can come as well.”

“Yay,” said Sana happily. “You can come along. We’ll meet in front of the mall in fifteen minutes, okay?”

After the long day, Isak was exhausted and he was more than happy when he came back home. Even and the others had already left, because it was pretty late into the day and most of them still had other things to do. Isak would’ve love to spend more time with his boyfriend, but the older one had a meeting for teachers in the preschool, so in the end, Isak had to return back home alone. He was kind of disappointed and the house felt empty, since Magne wasn't there. As he waited for his son to come back, his thoughts wandered off to Even and the others from before, a smile tugging at his lips. Things went better than expected.

In the end, they really did go shopping, but neither Jonas nor Isak liked it that much. As Eva was trying to get her husband to try on some new clothes, Sana and Even were trying to give Isak a makeover as well. For their sake, he tried the clothes on, but later they all agreed that he looked ridiculous. After two excruciating hours, the shopping was finally over and they went bowling. Isak could see that Even wasn’t too eager, but in the end, his boyfriend started enjoying himself. As they were playing, they split into three groups; Isak and Even were in one, Eva and Jonas in the second and Sana and Yousef were in the third one. Unfortunately, Even and Isak lost, but they didn’t really care since they got to spend time alone as the other two groups were competing for first place.

Isak chuckled and shook his head. The whole day went better than he imagined. He was beyond happy that all of them were so accepting of Even and he could tell that all of them were genuinely happy for him; even Yousef. Isak then sent a short text to Even, saying that he was home and he asked him how the meeting was going. Even replied back, saying that he was bored out of his mind and Isak’s mood brightened as they continued on texting for a few more minutes. Then, there was a knock at the door and Isak quickly hurried to the front door, where his parents and Magne were. It didn’t take for his parents to leave and Isak was quite content when he was finally alone with Magne, who appeared to be in a wonderful mood.

“Did you have a good time, Magne?” asked Isak softly and Magne quickly nodded as he climbed up onto the sofa and then sat into his father’s lap.

“Yes,” replied Magne as he beamed up at his father’s face. “Grandpa and grandma took me to an amusement park,” said the boy happily and clapped with his little hands excitedly. “We went on the Ferris wheel,” went on by saying Magne and he then giggled. “Grandma didn’t like it very much. She was afraid and was angry with grandpa, because he was poking fun at her.”

“Hmm? Really?” asked Isak and smiled, even though he couldn’t imagine it. His parents were usually pretty reserved, so he was actually surprised to see how much they changed when Magne was around. “Sounds like fun. Next time we should go there.”

“With Mr. Bech Næsheim?” asked Magne happily and his eyes literally lit up.

“Yes, with him,” said Isak and pressed a kiss on top of Magne’s head.

“What about you, daddy? Did you have fun?” asked Magne and his eyes got big, full of curiosity.

“We went shopping,” said Isak and scrunched his nose, making Magne giggle. “Aunt Sana and Even got me to wear some pretty silly clothes,” muttered Isak and pressed his lips together. “But then we went bowling.”

“Oh,” said Magne. “Did you win, daddy, did you win?”

“No,” said Isak and Magne giggled. “Me and Mr. Bech Næsheim lost. It was aunt Sana and Yousef that won, surprisingly,” said Isak and smiled when he remembered how pissed Jonas was about the second place. “You should see uncle Jonas’s face, he’s such a sore loser.”

“Uncle Jonas is silly,” said Magne and nodded in agreement.

“That he is,” said Isak and started laughing. “Now then,” started Isak and made a short pause. “Tell me more about your day, I’m pretty sure that it was more exciting than mine.”

“Okay,” said Magne and took in a deep breath, before he started explaining about the wonderful time that he had at the amusement park.


End file.
